Brotherhood
by Circle of Phoenix
Summary: One brother seeks to save another... All the while searching for their own purpose... 'republished'


Disclaimer: I hereby disavow any intent to profit, gain, or otherwise benefit from this written piece of fan fiction based on the highly acclaimed works of Square Enix and all it's partners in the world of final fantasy seven, ten, and ten-2.

Chapter 1: Omega Blitz

Searching the horizon of land from Celsius' bridge, a young blonde-haired person flinched at the knowledge that welled in his brain. Somehow, he had never expected it to happen. He, the son of Jecht and Lucia had an older brother. When Bahamut had originally contacted them, he had thought everything would be fine. The Faythe had sent him back to be with her, his apparent ties to the real world stronger then believed possible. Tidus blinked as he heard the mass of giggles coming from the raised platform behind him, noting the excitement that flooded the bridge.

Yuna, Rikku, and their new friend Paine were certainly making his life interesting, to say the least. However, he was sure Brother and Buddy were not originally accepting of him, they seemed to have let it rest. The gaggle of girls had certainly taught him a thing or two since. Tidus rubbed a hand across the back of his neck, wondering for the tenth time why they were up their laughing. Sure, he had been gone for two years, came back to find his girlfriend had saved the world, again. That was not what he was upset about, no, it was the news of another continent of spheres to be hunted.

Sphere hunting with the Gullwings. His first trial by mission had been easy enough. Retrieve a sphere from Baaj temple and turn it over to Shinra for testing. Within it, they would found the information to create more Aeons. It did not take long for Bahamut to appear before his two favored people and told them of other ways to summon Aeons, of the mysterious stones made up from the magical waters that flowed through the Farplane. Even that had not been what sent them along this course, rather, it was the darker omen of a returning foe that drove them.

Seymour had found a way back. Tidus tightened his hands into fists at the remembered enemy, the day that he had felt his heart ripped out. If there was nothing else he could do, it was to put Seymour back in the grave where he belonged.

"Tidus?"

His name whispered so softly in his ear, Tidus looked down to find a concerned Yuna staring up at him. "You alright?"

"Yeah, but..." he could not voice his concern about the unknown brother and Seymour.

Nor did he have too.

Placing a hand on his arm, she smiled. "If he's anything like you, he can handle himself." Her dual colored eyes brightened with warmth, her hand giving a gentle squeeze before letting him go. "Try to get some rest; we'll call you when we get there."

"I'll be fine, Yuna." he said gently. "I just have a lot of information to absorb."

Nodding, the High Summoner turned to look at the land quickly coming into their sites.

"We'll be there soon."

"Not soon enough." he answered, voice tight with impatient need.

The roar of turbine engines thrummed through the small space provided within the Shera. Cloud, Tifa, and the kids had finally decided on that 'tour' Cid been insisting on since Sephiroth's second defeat... Cloud rolled over, groaning at the time of morning as they sped through the night heading for Edge. "Tifa, when we get home, remind me to introduce Cid to the Fenrir."

"Will do," she yawned back. "Denzel and Marlene fell asleep." Burying her face deeper into her pillow, the martial artist breathed in its scent. "Gah, I'm tired. Has really only been a month?"

Cloud laughed, his eyes gleaming in the night. "Yeah, only a month since we first met the Shera." His hand reached up behind his head as he thought about all the worries, past fights, and losses they had suffered. It all seemed almost like a dream to him, though, one he was glad to leave behind. "Think Berret and the others are alright?"

"Mmhmm." Tifa answered, her mind finally giving up the battle of annoyance and drifting into sleep. Cloud, pausing in thought, looked at her from his own bunk. Above him, he heard the soft snores that Denzel and Marlene exhibited. Rolling to the side, Cloud attempted once more the futile exercise known as sleep.

Drifting into a deep sleep, he would swear he heard Aerith's voice in his ear. Brow furrowing at the interruption, Cloud dug deeper into his reserves to try to hear out the message. 'Cloud, something bad is coming.' Before he could breathe word one of his questions, she was gone. Blinking, Cloud looked around the pale illumination of his cabin, his heart beating in his throat as he caught sight of a small boy looking at him.

"Who are you?" he asked, his hand clenching tightly around his sheet.

The child shook his head, his hooded face betraying nothing more then determination. Cloud slowly began to slip from his bunk, his hand moving for his blade as the boy raised a hand in his direction. Mako eyes narrowed as the child paused in his movement. Again, he shook his head and acted as if he was trying to relay some message.

"Why are you here?" his voice rose a notch, the determination to protect his family rising in his heart. The boy waved his hands at him, almost as if trying to diffuse the fiery temper before him. In an unconscious image, the boy tossed his hands into the air and proceeded to stomp his foot. Another form took shape beside him, of a dark man, shimmering more then the other. Cloud's Ultima Sword came up quickly, his growl of impatience lost beneath the roar in his ears. The bare-chested man took a long look at him before crossing his arms. The child looked from one to the other, and again tried to force the man to pay attention.

Jecht was amused, his smile coming across his lips at the boy's actions. Hell, the kid even managed to lift a sword that weighed ten times the amount of Auron's. Had he known where his Lucia came from, he would have been more encouraged to seek the boy out before he died. He might not have been blondie's father, but you could not dismiss the connection he had with Tidus.

They both had those blue eyes that screamed helpless.

"Listen Bahamut, the kid obviously can't hear you or me. Only one way to get to him now. Find Tidus, then we can get this mess over with." Jecht advised, his brow rising up as he watched the young man glare at them. "Is he even aware he's still asleep?"

"No, but that's how the dream works. That's how the dreams always worked." Bahamut answered, his hands flexing slightly at the irritation he suddenly felt.

"Ah, don't let it get to ya. Besides, you still haven't mastered the Jecht Shot." The former Sin reminded the small boy, who answered him with a punch to the leg.

Cloud stepped back when the boy suddenly hit his companion, fury plain in the set of his shoulders. It was unlike anything he had ever seen before. Confusion pestered his brain as the boy suddenly vanished, the man seconds behind him. Even as he was about to examine the area, his entire world moved under him, throwing him to the floor.

It only took a second for Cloud to push himself upright, looking at the ceiling as he did so. A small foot landed on his head as Marlene slipped from her bunk and to the floor.

"Cloud?" she asked, plainly confused about his position.

"Yes?" he asked, lifting himself up.

"Why are you on the floor?"

"I woke up suddenly and I..." he stumbled over his words, unsure of what he could say to her.

"Oh." the little girl gave him a smile before darting out the door and heading to the other half of crew quarters. Cloud's head met the floor after she departed, not sure, he wanted to even think about the very real dream that had just occurred.

Time was a thing that Seymour did not have. The strangeness that had consumed him on the Farplane had been momentarily relieved when he spotted a dark cloud forming in the water. Unlike many of the other Sent souls here, Seymour Guado was not ready to be defeated yet. That is when he had met this Professor Hojo and learned of another world. Of a being that would rival none other the Sin in all it's dark power and that was something he craved to taste.

True power, such as Sin or even this Jenova's would be best sampled by one such as he.

"Ah, Lady Jenova, how fortuitous we should meet." he whispered, the former Maestor greeted, giving a slight bow to the fell creature before him. Jenova turned her face to look at the foreign entity before her, a slow smile touching her human-like face.

"And that's what happened." Yuna finished, her hands folding themselves in her lap as she awaited Tidus' reaction. The Blitzer blinked at her for a second before he gave her a wide grin.

"So, you joined the league of Blitzers. Never knew you had it in you, Yuna," he said, pulling his love into his arms for a quick hug. "You know something; I'd love to see how you play sometime." A blush jumped across Yuna's cheeks. Laughing, the younger teen got to his feet. "We should see if Brother got us to that landmass we spotted."

Yuna nodded, taking the blonde's hand as they left the crew cabin behind. Walking silently behind him, the High Summoner gave him a long look. Tidus was not one for vocalizing when he did not feel like it, unless it was of course to scream. Ever since that day he would come back, she knew something was not quite sitting right with him. "Tidus," she whispered.

"Yeah?" he asked, stopping to look down at her.

"I love you." Her head dropped a pace before she gave into impulse and planted a kiss on his tanned cheek. "Don't forget that, alright?"

"Ooooh, you two are so cute!" a peppy voice penetrated their peace; getting Tidus to jump back a foot. Smacking his head into the steel wall behind him, the former Guardian shot his friend a sharp look.

"Rikku!"

"Well, what'd you expect, going at each other in the hall? Sheesh, even I know better then that. Oh, and Brother says we got another airship on radar." The blonde Al-Bhed answered, her eyes gleaming with delight at the prospect. "It's flying in the same direction we're headed too."

Yuna barely paused before she was rushing down the hall to the lift. Tidus groaned, his feet picking up the pace to keep up with her. Rikku yelped as the other two rushed past her. Joining the duo in the lift, the three of them rode it to the bridge, each locked in their own thoughts.

Brother looked up from his post on bridge, his eyes locking firmly on Tidus before shifting ever so much to Yuna. The Al-Bhed captain muttered to himself for a moment before he shouted at Rikku to take Co-pilot.

"Yeah, yeah. Hold your chocobos, Brother," she answered. Paine had already taken the seat that belonged to the former Gullwing Shinra. "So, is it Pops or something new?"

"It's not Cid, Rikku." Buddy answered.

Tidus took a step forward as he looked out the main window. Not more then a stadium length away was indeed another airship. The design was not familiar, lacking the outrageous decor of the Celsius' own. Looking up at him, Yuna followed his eyes to the other vessel. "I'm going up top," he said suddenly, catching the rest of them by surprise. "Just in case."

Yuna spun around to look at him. "I'm coming with you. Just in case." she added, before Tidus could even think of arguing. Nodding, the Blitzer took the lead as they headed up top. If they were going to meet these other people, he wanted to be prepared.

Chapter 2: Alpha Constant

Chapter Two: Alpha Constant

"Cloud, does Shin-Ra or someone else have an Airship?" Denzel asked as he and the rest of their small family watched the other vessel.

"Shin-Ra does, but that's not their traditional coloring," he answered, turning to look at Tifa. "What do you think?"

"Private party, outside of Rufus or Cid, I don't know who else would have a vessel like that." she answered, "Unless you count Dio from Gold Saucer."

Biting back a laugh, Cloud nodded. "Maybe. Hey, Cid, what do you think?"

The older blond gave him a grin of mischief. "I want to see how fast that damn thing can go," he answered,

"Not with the kids." Cloud growled, his instincts coming to life.

"I know, I know. Sheesh, save the world twice and look what we get for it." Cid whispered to a nearby crewmember. "See if you can radio those people over there. Get the bastards talking."

"Yes, Captain."

Rikku nearly leapt from her skin when the voice came over the intercom. "Unknown vessel, this is the Shera. Please respond."

"Aaagh!" Slapping a hand over the intercom button, Rikku gave the others a long look.

"Unknown vessel, please identify yourself." the voice asked again.

"Brother, you're the captain. SAY something." Rikku demanded, her voice trembling.

"That's right, me. Rikku, I order you to answer the intercom." Brother answered, his green eyes lighting up with delight at the idea.

"I don't wanna, you do it." It only took a moment before Paine pressed the button on Shinra's station.

"Shera, this is Paine from the Celsius, give us a minute. The captain and his little sister are having a spat." With that, she removed her finger from the button and strolled over to the other two. "Enough. We're representing all of Spira and all you two do is fight."

"Egh, she started it." Brother answered.

"Did not."

"Did too." Brother yelled, turning back in his seat.

"Right, now then, how about talking to our new friends, Captain?" Paine advised, leaning against a bulkhead. Her red eyes closed for a moment, thinking of the simpler times with the Crimson Squad. "I wonder..."

The voice that answered them sent a chill down Cid's back as he coughed on his tea. Quirking a brow at the other vessel, the older pilot took a moment to consider all the implications meeting another people could possibly have. All too recently they'd dealt with Jenova and her brood, the return of Sephiroth, and who knew what these people brought along with them.

"Ask those bastards where they come from." Cid ordered. "Yo, Cloud, think we should get those strangers to land somewhere nearby? Say, near the Zolom in case of trouble?"

Shaking his head, Cloud turned around, raising his eyes to meet Cid's. "Kalm isn't far from here. Make a landing there, and I'll go meet them myself." Turning back around, the blonde gave a wan smile to Tifa. "It'd be better in case there's trouble."

"If you think it's best.," she answered. "Cloud, promise me you'll come back."

"Always, I promised that a long time ago."

"No, Tidus. I'm not just going to let you..."

"Yuna, I am your Guardian, and I wouldn't be doing my job if I let you put yourself in danger." Tidus argued, his arms crossed over his chest as he and the High Summoner stared down at each other.

Wrapping her arms around him, Yuna pulled him into a tight hug. "I know you're concerned about me, but I learned to protect myself a long time ago. Please, don't go without me."

Breathing out, Tidus nodded. "Fine, but if there's trouble, you get back to Celsius and go. Promise me?" he whispered. He closed his eyes waiting for her answer when he felt Yuna nod in answer. "Good." Stepping back, he looked down at her. "So, do we know when we're going to meet these other people?"

Yuna shook her head. "Brother and Rikku are still arguing about who will be doing what."

Giggling, she released her love. "Come on, let's go back in."

"Right." he answered. "I'll meet you there. I think I want to feel the wind for a while longer." Yuna blinked, her face taking on a sour expression at the aspect of being separated from him for any length of time.

"I'll whistle if you're too long."

"I know, don't worry. It's not like I can get into much trouble on the Celsius." he answered. Grinning, the Blitzer gave her a gentle push towards the lift. "I'll be fine."

"Mmm." Yuna nodded, taking the first steps towards the interior of the airship when the wind picked up. Turning, she took a single step before turning back around. "What happened to our 'Just in case' moment?" she asked.

"It never happened?" Tidus offered.

"I'm staying." Crossing her arms, she gave her former guardian a stiff look. "And that's not an offer, Sir Tidus."

"Hey, hey, hey! That is not fair. Yuna!" Smiling, the ex-summoner cocked her head ever so slightly to the side. "Adding the sir isn't nice. Even Auron hated that title."

Tossing her arms in the air, she gave him a sly smile. "Well, you could always start some kind of new tradition with the title then." Tidus's look turned sour as he watched her.

"Fine, but you still owe me a date at the Moonflow, High Summoner Yuna." he answered. His answer was a swift kiss and then the two took back to watching the foreign airship.

"You want us to land near a small town?" Rikku confirmed as she toyed with one of her many braids. "Am I right?"

"Yes, for the final time." a man's voice shouted at the young Al Bhed.

"You don't have to shout." Rikku snapped back. "I am just making sure we got everything."

"Where are we going?" Brother drawled, "I'm bored. They have no sphere waves coming in either." Giving her elder brother a long look, Rikku turned back to the commsphere.

"You lead the way."

"Right, just head straight in the direction you're going." Cid answered, his face screwing up as he spun the wheel in the opposite direction. "You'll find Kalm right there on the beach."

"'Kay." she answered, "Rikku signing off."

"Yeah, bye bye toots." he answered, breaking the link between them. "Those people are insane, I tell ya. So, Cloud, who's going with ya?"

"Vincent."

"What, why?"

"Perhaps it is because I know better then to curse out a prospective enemy." the whispered comment had everyone holding their breath. Cid blanked, waiting for the other shoe to drop before he began to curse at their sharpshooter.

"You know something boy, kiss my... "

"Cid, stop. We're almost there." Cloud interjected, heading towards the deck behind them.

"Vincent, I'll see you there." Waving a hand at Tifa and the children, Cloud disappeared from their view. Finding his Fenrir, the Soldier pressed the unlock button for the ramp. Mounting quickly, he started the ignition and lowered his body frame close to the sleek bike. Once he had enough clearance, Cloud sent the massive machine hurdling forward and into the sandy stretch of beach below. Racing for Kalm, Cloud followed after the two airships at nearly impossible speeds, his hair whipping back against his ear as he spun onto the road.

Tidus' mouth dropped open as he watched the machina bike race away from the second airship, his eyes wide before he turned to Yuna. "I want one." he whispered. "Think I can get Cid or that Gippal guy to help me with that?"

Glancing up from the corner of her eye, she gave him an answer. "Only if I can have one too."

"I don't have a problem with that." he answered, turning to her as he spoke. "Come on, we should head for the loading bay. Taking her hand, he lead the way inside. Yuna shook her head, allowing herself to be lead away from the delicious thoughts of fast machina.

Chapter 3: Newton's Theory

Chapter Three: Newton's Theory

Cloud arrived at Kalm just as the second airship allowed two people descent on the ground and then moved off to hover just beyond the realm of threat. The bright colors of the airship was certainly different from the somber colors that Gaia had been used to in the last several years. Grimacing, the young man dismounted and retrieved two of his swords before locking up his bike.

He stood waiting, his eyes watching the young man and woman walking into town. Though both were armed, neither seemed willing to reach for a weapon. However, the ease with which they carried them belied the lightness around them. Crossing his arms, Cloud flicked a glance at the silent arrival of his back up, the former Turk taking a position near the well.

As he watched their body language, Cloud could not help noticing the confidence that marked each individual's step. Of the two, the woman seemed more experienced in the use of her weapons while the young man seemed to have more familiarity with his blue sword.

"What do you think?" he whispered into the mike on his collar.

"They will die or kill for the other." Was his answer, Vincent just kept out of sight as the boy turned to speak to girl next to him. When the girl planted a hand on her hips, Cloud was nearly sure she was going to draw her weapons. Yet, something the boy seemed to say stopped her from doing so when the teen pulled something from around his neck. Pressing it into the girl's palm, he smiled down at her.

Shaking her head, the brunette grabbed onto his hand before he slipped free. Cloud tilted his head as the boy sighed and pulled her close. Whispering into her ear, he pushed her down onto the town fountain rim.

The girl's face took on an angered expression, then softened as she finally nodded. Saying something back, the boy nodded, before turning back to Cloud. Blue eyes met his own and it was then that Cloud realized something. The boy was not quite, what he seemed, though his eyes spoke of something more then the usual teen. "Vincent?"

"Yeah, I saw it too. He has paid a high price for something." The red-cloaked man said.

"That girl said she'd whistle if something happened."

"Right. I am going to greet our newcomer. Keep an eye on his girlfriend."

"Of course." The ex-Turk answered, fingering the weapon at his side. Cloud stopped speaking just as the boy paused and began looking around, his eyes searching carefully for someone. Stepping into the sunlight, Cloud approached the boy at a slow pace.

"You're not from around here, are you?" he said once he was a sword lengths away. The boy spun around to face him, a hand dropping automatically to the weapon at his side.

"No, I'm not." he answered. The boy released his weapon, watching the elder warrior with caution. "I'm looking for my older brother." Cloud's eyes did not turn from him as he released a held breath.

"You never gave your name." he reminded the blitzer.

"Tidus, star player of the Zanarkand Abes." the boy answered, his posture turning to one of arrogance. "You?"

"Cloud." Turning blue eyes slightly away from the boy, he inclined his head to the brunette gunner. "Who's she?"

The boy followed his gaze and nearly bristled. "No one anyone needs to be concerned with." Tidus answered, his foot moving slightly back. "We've problems enough without her name getting out."

Cloud wrenched his attention back to Tidus, his hand dropping across his Ultima weapon. "I merely wished to know who I was dealing with." he explained, readying his arm to draw and swing if needed.

"Right and Sin was just an illusion designed by Yevon." the teen answered, his feet taking him even further back. "I gave you my name and told you the truth about why I was here. If that's not enough, I'll find someone else to speak with." Breathing out, Tidus reached behind him for his own weapon.

Yuna's eyes went wide as she watched the sudden shift in Tidus' energy her hands tightening as she stood up. "Don't move." a voice broke through her thoughts as she felt the un-mistakable feel of a barrel pressed into her neck. "Your friend there has riled Cloud by not giving your name. So, what is it?"

Swallowing, she nearly answered when she saw Tidus move. The younger Zanarkadian spun on his heel when he saw the gunner behind her. Casting his hand out, he threw out a Stop spell only to have the other blonde not far on his heels. The elder swordsman had drawn the heavier of his double blades and was doing his best to cut the Blitzer down to size. Acting on battle honed instincts, Yuna tossed herself out of the way just as Tidus' spell canceled itself out.

Coming up with her double pistols in hand, she aimed them for the one who had previously held her pinned. Her dual colored eyes clashed with crimson orbs, as the sound of steel striking steel echoed in her ears. Spinning on her foot, Yuna leapt away, her body rolling behind the fountain as she punched the emergency link up to Paine and Rikku. "We got trouble." she shouted as she heard the barrage of shots after her. Leaning out from behind her shelter, Yuna returned fire.

Tidus spun barely in time to block the massive sword from cleaving his brain in half. The dream player spun about, his booted feet glancing off of a single crate as he brought his sword up and down against the double blades. "You should have lain off the weapons." he growled as his muscles strained under the stronger grip. A knee dropped out from under him as he strained to push Cloud back a foot. His body was built for speed and sports, this opponent however, had trained somewhere else.

Cloud grunted, his breath coming in a gasp as the boy finally pushed him back. "We're not really fond of strangers." he countered, bringing the Ultima and Runedge around once more. Leaping backwards, Cloud prepared to unleash his Braver on the boy when the kid suddenly leapt backwards several feet and landed in front of his girlfriend.

"Yuna, you alright?"

"Yeah. I called Rikku and Paine." she answered, spinning so that her back was to Tidus. The red robed man and Cloud soon had them pincered. Each foe eyed the other for subtle movement as Tidus eyed Cloud. The aforementioned Soldier glared at them from under the lash of his hair as the wind picked up around them.

"Back off." the boy growled, his breath coming in shallower gasps as Yuna looked up.

"Yuna, go. I'll hold these two off while..."

"No." the summoner replied. "Tidus, I..."

"This fight isn't a game and you promised me. Please, Yuna?" Tidus ached to spin around and hold her close, but the momentary standstill worried him. The sound of a rope ladder dropping stopped him from saying anymore. "Just whistle."

His eyes half lidded as he suddenly spun around and tossed a haste over himself. Giving Yuna a quick look, the blitzer took off and engaged the two enemies once more. Crying out, Yuna barely had time to realize that Rikku had dropped beside her and was pulling her out of the fight.

"Yunie! We will get him back. He needs to protect you too." Rikku added as she pulled Yuna onto Celsius with Paine's help. Moments later, the airship peeled away as the Shera came tearing around the corner in pursuit.

Tidus' back slammed into a wall as he barely dodged the double shot from his other foe as Cloud's sword came to a rest above his shoulder. "I don't like hurting people, but I'll do whatever it takes to protect this world and my loved ones." the Soldier whispered. "Why did you really come here?"

Raising his eyes, Tidus glared back at him. "To stop Sin from being brought back by something called Jenova." he answered, "And to find my brother." Tidus leaned his head forward, preparing himself for that final strike when Cloud removed his sword.

"Start talking. What's this Sin and why would Jenova wish to bring it back?" He waved Vincent back as he reached into his pocket for one of his High Potions and tossed it at the kid. The shatter of a bottle over his head had Tidus looking up and blinking in faint surprise.

"Wait, you try and kill me, then I drop the name Jenova and you... You don't know Sin?" he questioned. His brow raised as Cloud shook his head.

"If it's anything like Jenova or Sephiroth, we'll have our work cut out for us."

Tidus groaned, his head coming to rest on his knee as he considered what to tell these people. "Can we go somewhere else? This isn't exactly alley conversation and I need to let Yuna know I'm alright."

Glancing at Cloud, Vincent pulled out his phone. Dialing Tifa's number quickly, he spoke for a short moment before he nodded. "Cloud, Tifa says take him to the bar. They'll handle the girlfriend."

"What about you?"

"I'm used to being by myself." he answered, turning on his feet to begin walking away.

"They'll see you in Midgar." Looking up at the two men, Tidus slowly stood.

Not that he was not used to road trips, he just was not sure he wanted to go somewhere without talking to Yuna first. Cloud barely paused after sheathing his swords and the boy is before he latched a hand onto the kid. "You can speak with them later. Right now, you have information we need."

"But I... Fine, but you're the one who gets to deal with Yuna." Tidus shouted as he was led to the machina bike. "Where did you get this?" he asked, his eyes taking in the lethal design the machine had. For a moment, he wondered if he should mention his extra special sword. Tossing off the idea, Tidus gave Cloud a long look. "How far is this Midgar?"

"Do you always talk this much?" Tidus shrugged in answer while Cloud turned back to Fenrir. "Get on."

"Right, I don't think that'll happen."

Cloud gave him a sharp look. Tidus merely crossed his arms behind his head and smiled, the stubborn streak that helped him defeat Sin sliding into play. "This isn't a game, Tidus."

"Who said I was playing? Cause if I was, I wouldn't have lost." The Blitzer answered, his arms dropping down to his sides. "I won't leave here without speaking to Yuna first."

Grunting, Cloud reached up and took hold of the younger blonde's ear. Pulling him down, he gave a soft command. "On the bike. Now."

"Gah! Do not grab. Sheesh, you could give lessons to Auron." Once his ear was let go, the teen took a reluctant seat on the Fenrir and glared silent daggers into Cloud's head.

"You're a jerk." he muttered. Cloud shook his head, turning on the bike a moment later.

"Hold on," he advised as he started forward. The speed with which the machine jolted forward startled a yelp from Tidus, his eyes shutting in hopeless dismay as they raced ahead onto the road. Cloud flicked his eyes to the not so distant Midgar and Edge did he reach for his sword. Monsters in the plains were not that distant a memory as he watched a single chocobo turn from their path. With luck, Tifa would be able to calm the boy's girlfriend and get the girl to 7th Heaven.

Chapter 4: Stolen Guardian

Chapter Four: Stolen Guardian

"They kidnapped TIDUS!" Yuna shouted as she glared at the brunette before her. The woman Tifa had come over to Celsius to try and 'negotiate' a truce. So far, she had not been to successful.

"Look, Yutta..."

"YUNA! My name is Yuna! Where is Tidus?" the younger girl demanded, her eyes giving a dangerous glint as she watched Tifa pace.

"Fine, Yuna. Look, Cloud is taking him to my place in Edge. We can talk there without the locals bugging us every ten seconds. Please, will you calm down and come with me?" Tifa flinched as the girl spun around to face her.

"So help me, if anything happens to Tidus, I'll send you all to the Farplane myself." she growled. "Now, where is this Edge?"

"Center of the continent." Tifa answered. Her brown eyes closed for a second as she digested the girl's furious nature. The gunner was something else, which was for sure. The ones looking on had been silent for the entire debate, until the shorter blonde girl had run up to Yuna and began to speak in low tones.

"Yunie?"

"I'm fine, I just... I do not want to lose him again. Brother, hurry up. I need to make sure Tidus is alright." Yuna said, her face turning a pale red as she realized what she had done. "Sorry," she suddenly said as she marched out of the room.

Paine sighed, her hand ran through her hair as she looked at Tifa. "You are lucky."

Shrugging, Tifa turned to look out the window she stood near. "Well, it couldn't be helped. Someone had to come over here and talk to you since you wouldn't accept our calls."

"Maybe if you hadn't kidnapped the High Summoner's boyfriend and best Guardian, we wouldn't be standing here." Paine answered, her feet carrying her away from Tifa. "Maybe you should ask Rikku just what it was that has Yuna so upset. The answers aren't what you'd expect."

Tifa gave a look at the blonde. "That's not my story. You should wait to talk to everyone together."

"Right."

Tidus pushed himself off the bike in a moment of sheer relief as his backside hit dirt. The ride had certainly been faster then his recent flights on Celsius, but no more disconcerting then when Sin-Jecht had brought him through the barrier to Baaj. Shaking his head, Tidus dropped down in the dirt and closed his eyes.

Cloud turned around to help the blonde only to see the boy fall back into the road. "You shouldn't stay there. Red XVIII is picky about his spots." As soon as the boy sat up, he was glaring at him.

"Great. So, is this Heaven?" he asked, flipping to his feet a moment later.

Cloud nodded, unlocking the door to the shop before motioning for the kid to enter. "I've got a few calls to check. Make yourself at home." Tidus watched the older man disappear up several steps before he flopped down at a table and pressed his head into the cool wood. The smell of sandalwood and flowers reminded him strongly of his mother.

Closing his eyes, Tidus pushed away the wave of memory and looked up at the pictures on the walls. Featured in several of them were groups of people. Amongst them stood one of a blonde woman that strongly resembled Cloud. Apart from the color of her hair, she would have been an almost match for his own mother. Shaking his head, Tidus reached into his side pouch for the one picture of his parents.

Jecht stood beside his mother, the two of them smiling as the sun sank behind them. It was a picture he had had since her death, one he had taken from the photo album after her death. He had only turned six when his father disappeared, seven when his mother died. Seven when Auron had shown up and tossed his world upside down. Tidus had taken no comfort when he had learned of his father's death, but when 'she' died, Tidus promised himself he would never cry again.

"Who are you?" a voice penetrated his musings. Tidus turned slightly to look at a girl about Rikku's age. Short dark hair moved as the girl poked his shoulder. "Hello? I'm Yuffie and you?"

Tidus groaned. This was not happening, was it? "Tidus." he answered, his eyes closed

again as he pressed his head into his elbow. "Did you want something?"

"Yup. Got any materia?" she asked.

"No." the answer seemed safe, as he had no idea what Materia was in the first place.

"Guess you're useless then." Spinning away, the Wutaian princess walked to another side of the room and sat down. "So, what do you do anyway?"

"Blitzball." Tidus tossed out the answer quickly and then proceeded to ignore the girl. Yuffie spent a minute considering the answer, then shrugged. Perhaps it was some new game at the Gold Saucer or something.

The grumbling of his stomach had Tidus glancing back at the girl. "Hey, do they have any food around here?" Yuffie grinned, her eyes taking in the blonde's profile.

"I could take you out for dinner, if you're hungry?" Tidus shook his head. "Why not? Am I not cute enough?" Tidus quickly stood, his feet carrying him towards the stairs.

"You know, I'll... ugh... just ask Cloud." he said hurriedly.

"Now wait a minute!" the ninja snapped, coming to her feet. "I asked an honest question."

"And if he answers that question, he'll be sleeping on Besaid beach. Tidus, are you alright?" Yuna asked as she came through the door and raced towards him.

The blitzer nodded, his cheek pressing into Yuna's shoulder as he wrapped his arms around her. "Never better." he whispered, "Are you alright?"

Yuna nodded, stepping back to look up at him. "Tidus..." she began as the tears she'd held back threatened to spill over. "Don..." Taking in her tears and tone, Tidus did the one thing he could think of to settle her nerves. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to hers in a chaste kiss.

"Real enough?" he asked, breaking away. Yuna looked up at him, a finger rising to touch her lips as she suddenly smiled.

"Don't ever do that to me again, Sir Tidus. You have a responsibility to your Summoner." she scolded. "Promise me?"

"Yuna..." he whispered, his voice dropping a level in tone as the other girls looked on in amazement.

"I didn't know guys could do commitment like that." Yuffie whispered to Tifa. Nodding, the bar owner turned to her other guests.

"Come on in." she said, giving the duo a glance as she heard Cloud coming down the stairs. "Well?"

"They'll get back to us." he answered. Turning to look at the three new comers, he removed Tidus' blue sword from his sheathe and set it against the wall. "What's going on?"

"Yuffie was hitting on Yuna's Sir Tidus there." she shrugged as she explained. "Apparently, he doesn't want to sleep on a beach."

"Hmm. The kids with Barret?" Tifa nodded as she jumped over the bar and began preparing refreshments. "Did you find anything out?"

"Just that these people seem to be world saving important." Tifa answered as Tidus and Yuna finally broke away from their reunion. Paine and Rikku both sidled up behind the blitzer and set hands on his shoulders. Pushing him down into a seat, they crossed their arms.

"Oh, come on. Isn't that unfair?" the boy's voice broke their silence as they continued to glare. Tidus flushed a bright red. "Look, why do I always have to be given the 'Stare'? Not even Wakka has to deal with it all the time."

"You made Yunie cry." Rikku reminded him.

"No, I didn't." Tidus defended. "That was Cloud and the red guy." Yuffie snorted at the nickname the other teen lobbed onto Vincent with. "Rikku, you know I'd never do anything..."

"You let yourself be taken hostage." Paine interjected. "It's not the first time either, if you remember the Syndicate." The tap of fingernails across leather had Tidus looking at her as well. Yuna pressed her hand over her mouth as she allowed her 'younger sisters' to deal with the blitzer.

Cloud slid Tifa a look. Even he knew how unfair the position the other guy was in.

"Excuse me, but it wasn't his fault if he lost." he said before he realized the words dropped from his lips. Both girls spun around on him as if he had committed treason. Cloud merely gave them both a sharp look before he moved on. "You said you'd explain this Sin creature to us and what Jenova intends to do with it."

Tidus nodded, looking at Yuna. "Perhaps..." he asked her, "You could explain the first part."

Yuna nodded, taking the chair beside Tidus' and taking his hand in her own. The feel of his glove between her sweaty palms comforted her enough as she began to recite the thousand year old tale of Sin. "A thousand years before now, there was a great war between the cities of Bevelle and Zanarkand. For Bevelle, technology reigned supreme, dominating all aspects of my ancestors lives. For Zanarkand, it was the opposite that held true. They specialized in magic as well as technology." Pausing for a breath, she continued. "Bevelle nearly destroyed Zanarkand in those days, but not before the survivors of that city led by Yu Yevon found a way to exact revenge. So Sin was born. For a long time, the people of Spira believed that Sin was our punishment for our arrogance."

"Many of us lost families, homes, whole cities to the destructive force of Sin. What remained hidden was the origin of Sin's return. Sin was summoning a powerful force, using the Faythe of Mount Gagazet. Unlike the other Aeons, Sin was born for a single purpose. Destruction, and like any other fiend, it had to be stopped every time it awoke. The Sin before this last one was defeated by our fathers. Sir Auron was the only survivor of that confrontation, while my father Braska and Tidus' father Jecht perished in battle." Yuna would have continued on, except for Tidus jumping in.

"Ten years after the their deaths, Sin came back. It had found a new host in the final Aeon as all the Sin's before it had." Tidus closed his eyes at the harsh memory of Jecht's defeat playing in his mind. "That Sin was my father, Jecht." Dropping his head, he opened his eyes onto the grainy wood of the floor. "He brought me to Spira for a single reason."

Yuna tightened her grip as she felt Tidus cringe away from the memories and thoughts of that final battle. "Yuna would have died, if she used the Final Summoning. I... didn't want anyone else to hurt, to dance when someone died. But there was another reason for my being sent to Spira as well. I was intended to end the Faythe Dream and to fade away with the rest of them as well. But somehow, the Faythe found a way to bring me back. I just don't know how." Standing quickly, Tidus looked down at Yuna.

"I'll be right here." she whispered. "And I'll tell them about the other part too." Nodding, the blitzer looked at his hosts before silently leaving the room. The heavy silence which followed his steps nearly drowned the few Avalanche members present.

Tifa looked up at Cloud as he watched the younger boy depart. "Cloud?"

"I think he needs some time to himself." he told her, his attention turning to Yuna.

"Anything else?"

"Mmhmm. After Tidus first disappeared, I went back to Besaid. It was Rikku and another of my Guardians that found a sphere of someone who would later turn out to be an enemy. But at the time, I thought it might have been Tidus. I was so glad it wasn't him, even though the world was nearly destroyed in the process." Yuna blushed at the memory of Lenne and Shuyin being reunited, her heart finding a lodging in her throat.

Rikku cleared her throat. "Yunie forgot to mention that Shuyin just wanted to find his summoner. You really can't blame the guy, after the Den of Woe and everything. It was only natural that he'd become Unsent after all that time. He really wasn't that bad a guy. Kind of like Tidus in some ways."

Rolling her eyes, Paine added her two cents. "What their not saying is that Shuyin possessed Mevyn Nooj and Praetor Baralai in his mission to blow up the planet simply because of hatred. The darker the heart, the stronger his hold. It was Yuna and Lenne that saved us, again."

Cloud breathed out, his head turning towards the roof as he considered the stories he'd just been told. Apparently, his mind told him, they'd faced family and faces of loved ones more then once. There had to be something he was missing.

"When your friend said he was brought to Spira only to fade, what does he mean?"

Vincent asked, the light above their heads catching on his golden claw as Yuna winced.

"Most Summoners and Guardians perish in the fight against Sin. I was going to my death to free Spira for everyone. Yet, it wasn't I who paid the price. Rather, it was Tidus. We had to destroy the Aeons in order to destroy Sin. It was the only way, he said. The only way to free the Faythe from the control of Unsent and from Yu Yevon's grasp. Tidus... he was part of the dream." she explained, her fingers tightening as she turned away from everyone. "He was sent back after we defeated Vegnagun."

Chapter 5: Faythe's Part

Chapter 5

Once he'd gotten outside, Tidus had stopped to look around the small town he'd been brought too. Unlike the other members of his group, he was the only one familiar with cities like this. His eyes trailed over the horizon where he saw the ruins of a massive city. Zanarkand had been destroyed a thousand years ago, while this one had only been destroyed recently. The people around him, while they seemed to be moving on lacked the life to make it more.

"Like when Sin held Spira." he whispered, his feet carrying him beyond the threshold of the bar. Noting the Celsius and Shera hovering over the town, Tidus turned towards the road. Walking slowly, he stopped near what looked like an alleyway full of children.

All of them were near stationary, though they spoke amongst themselves of the recent 'Nightmare's' return and of the cure of some illness that had spread through them like wildfire. Leaning back against the wall, Tidus listened to the story with a knot in his stomach. If he had learned nothing else from Auron, he knew that lack of hope could destroy far more then any foe. Closing his eyes, Tidus began humming the only tune he knew.

The Hymn of the Faythe, while it seemed sad, it was also hopeful of something more. It was a song he kept memorized, in honor of his father, the dream, and the Faythe. As the notes came along, halting in context, Tidus remembered flashes of the fight for Spira's freedom. His father's actions at Mushroom Rock, the near destruction of Bevelle. Thousands of lives had been lost, simply because his father wanted to end it. With Tidus being the one with the sword.

"Excuse me, mister, what song is that?" a voice penetrated his musings as Tidus looked down at the kid.

"In Spira, it was called the Hymn of the Faythe. Though, there are now more songs then that one." he answered, leaning down near the kid. "What about you, do you know any?"

The child looked down. "There used to be songs about General Sephiroth, but now we're not allowed to sing them anymore. What's Spira?"

Smiling, Tidus sank onto the ground and looked at the children gathering. "It's Yuna's homeland, and it has a distant connection to my own." he began. "In Spira, the Faythe were part of an army to destroy darkness, but there were things not many people knew about them. The Faythe were just like you or me, trapped in living stone for all eternity. But we stopped that and let them go on to their real rest. The Hymn was their song. Part of the reason I was able to go to Spira was because of that connection."

"Really? What about your homeland? What was it called?" Three children clamored together as the group scooted closer for the story. Shaking his head, Tidus continued on.

"Zanarkand, the City that Never Sleeps. It was always lit up, especially at night. At times, it was so bright you had to sleep with a pillow over your head." Tidus leaned back against the wall. "That was a thousand years ago, to Spira anyway. For me, it was less then a year."

"Wait... are you saying you traveled through time?" an older girl asked, her brows drawing together as she spoke. "Cause that's not possible."

Tidus laughed, his eyes brightening with amusement as he looked at her. "No, it's not normally possible, but I never said I traveled through time either."

"Huh?"

"Remember, I said the Faythe were trapped in stone? Well, they had to be doing something, right? So, they dreamed of another Zanarkand. The one I come from." He crossed his arms and looked at the girl. "In my hometown, we didn't have things like war or Sin. We had things like sports, music, and school." he shuddered on the last bit, as if the very idea bothered him.

The girl looked at him for a moment, as if trying to disbelieve the story. "You're not a remnant, are you?"

"A what?" Blinking at the girl, the blonde scratched his head. "I don't know what that is, but I doubt it."

"Then how can you know?"

"I just do." he answered, getting to his feet. "I'll tell you what, when I'm done with my errands, I'll teach you Blitzball." Before anymore questions could be asked, he was headed back to Tifa's bar and Yuna.

"Jecht! That shot is unfair." Bahamut pouted as he turned to face the taller Aeon. "Besides, aren't we supposed to be trying to reach Yuna and the others?" His arms crossed as he looked up at the tall man, his hooded face keeping his pout hidden.

"The kids are fine. Better then us anyway, their still breathing." Jecht answered, his smirk being brought up short by a heavy sigh from behind him. Spinning around, Jecht came face to face with a girl wearing a bright pink dress. Her green eyes were narrowed on him as she pressed a finger into his chest.

"You. Are. Annoying." she scolded. "Some of us are trying to rest, while others are preparing for the next cycle of life. Why are you doing this?" The dark haired man behind her looked at Jecht with some amusement as Aerith looked up at him.

"Because I'm bored and waiting for Seymour and Jenova to carry out their plan is not as amusing as you might think." Jecht answered, his arms crossing defensively. "What's it too you, little girl?"

Zack choked as Aerith narrowed her eyes. "What's Jenova planning?"

Bahamut looked from one to the other and sighed. Things weren't happening as he'd planned. Not that it ever really went according to plan. Next thing he knew, Shuyin would be wanting to know why he wasn't allowed to rest. "Please, stop. You must remain calm." His words fell on deaf ears while the flower girl and Jecht glared at one another.

"You want to know? Fine. She's planning on bringing back Sin and combining herself with it. Of course, she'd need Yu Yevon and a Faythe to make it happen." Jecht answered. "As long as we keep her from gaining one of those, we're good."

Aerith turned her head to glance at Zack. "We have to warn Cloud."

"I know, but... he's just gotten himself where he needs to be. How..."

"If your talking about that blonde guy, he's fine. We sent a message with Tidus to warn him and the others. It was the only way to reach them all in time."

Zack's brow furrowed as he thought over the words. "You said you sent this Tidus to warn them. Was he one of you?" Bahamut looked down, his foot kicking at the flowered ground beneath his feet.

"He was special." he began. "He was unable to remain in the oceans we dreamed of for him, his ties to Gaia and Spira were stronger then we could contain. That is where the danger resides. He was anchored in reality, even though he was a dream."

Aerith pressed a hand to her chest as she sank down to the boy's level. "He was just a dream made real? How is that possible?"

Jecht leaned his head back, looking at the floating platform above their heads. "None of us know. We've not been able to figure it out since we got to this point. Look kid, we understand that the rules of your Gaia are different from our own. So, can you tell me how we managed to speak like this?"

Aerith shrugged. "Since Geostigma, everything has been different here and in the Stream."

"So, then, what is causing it?"

A man interjected his own thoughts, his blue eyes coming to rest on the small group. "This life stream, could it have interacted with the dream at some point? Or maybe fed into it?"

"Lord Braska!" Bahamut turned and ran to the man. Wrapping thin arms around the man's waist, he looked up at his former summoner. "We're trying to find out what's happening and how we were even able to speak with them." Pointing at Aerith and Zack, he looked back up at him.

"The answers may not needed to be known, as long as we can make sure our loved ones are prepared for the coming fight." he answered the boy, his hand touching the child's shoulder. "As for you, Bahamut, I'm used to you being taller then me."

"Bahamut?" Aerith whispered. "But... what about the materia summons?"

"Echoes, like the pyreflies and those that occasionally find some of themselves returned to the present world in memory spheres. It's been that way for the longest time. With Shinra and the others experimenting with recall technology, their hoping to find some way to aid Spira." Braska answered. "At least, I think it might work like that."

He gave a wan smile to the girl before he turned to face the world around them. Aerith nodded, her ponytail swinging behind her as she considered what he was saying. "Then, there really is nothing else any of us can do?"

"I wouldn't say that." Braska answered, "We're just rather limited here. That's why Tidus was sent rather then one of us. But the process somehow weakened his form on the surface world. We need to find a way to help him become stronger."

"I do have a question." Aerith interrupted. "How many Aeons did you're world have before the end?"

"Eight," the boy Bahamut answered. "Why do you ask?"

"If materia was merely an echo of your world, then why would we have dozens of summons?"

"There were several Sins, each one born of a new Faythe." the child replied, giving the Cetra woman a long look. "But you are thinking of something else, right?"

"Uh huh. Your Tidus was born into a dream, but anchored in reality. I don't see how it's possible unless something else played a role in it." Aerith explained as she crossed her arms. "Do you get where I'm going with this?"

"You think something outside of us Faythe helped the Dream?" Bahamut answered. "But we Aeons were the only ones who could access the Dream from Spira."

"You never encountered Gaia before. Cloud and Tidus are half brothers, sharing a mother." she stated, crossing her arms to look at Zack.

"Try talking to the Planet, maybe it knows something we don't." he offered. "There are always possibilities we don't know something."

Smiling, Aerith was about to connect when a hand landed on her shoulder. "Don't do that." Shuyin growled, giving the group a look. "Just don't go there, asking about something as pointless as someone's origins. We have more important things to think about."

"Why do you interfere?"

"Aerith, please, don't ask him that. Shuyin is just doing what he promised." Lenne whispered into their ears as she took shape beside her lover. "Please, don't ask us anything we can't answer right now. All the answers we need will be delivered."

"You know something." Zack accused, coming to stand beside his lover. "What..."

Placing a hand on Lenne's elbow, the nightmare from the den glared at the Soldier. For a second, the four kept quite as a rush of light exploded from within the Summoner and her lover leaving the group standing in silence.

His world came crashing down on his head as Tidus lifted an arm to block out the light filtering in from windows around him. The teen lay curled on his side as the distant sound of talking echoed in his ears, along with soft giggles. Opening one eye, he glared at the digital display on the wall across from him. He wasn't sure what had woken him up, only that something didn't feel right.

"Tidus." the woman's voice broke his thoughts as he turned to face her. Long silver hair tumbled around her shoulders as she smiled down at the boy. "Sin spawn or fading dream. Which are you?" The malice in the woman's voice had him sitting up in seconds. His hand reached reflexively for his sword, only for another apparition to take form nearby.

"Seymour." he breathed. "Who are you?" His head turned to glare at the blue faced woman before he felt the long fingers of Seymour's hand wrap around his throat. Reaching his hand up, Tidus grabbed hold of his hand and tried his best to give himself room to breathe.

Then he heard him speak. You're time with my wife is limited, dream. Tidus growled, his left hand flexing as he rammed an elbow into backwards, knocking the other man back. Spinning on his heel, he turned to face Seymour. The woman Jenova laughed, her green eyes laughing at the display of emotion.

"Come Seymour, leave the dream to his dreams. We have more work to finish before we can play again." Jenova whispered, her form breaking apart as she faded away.

Seymour glared at his former foe, the gleam of hatred sharp in the Unsent's eyes. The summoner is mine. he whispered as the pyreflies which incorporated his form dispersed. In the next moment, Tidus dropped to a knee, his hand touching the bruise on his throat.

"Yuna." he whispered, closing his eyes as the wave of fear crashed into his conscious mind. His eyes popped open as his body sat up of it's own accord. Looking around the spare room in Seventh Heaven, Tidus whipped his head around. No sign of Seymour or his strange companion in either corner. But the burning around his throat was a hint something more had happened then just a mere nightmare. Standing up, the blitzer made his way into the near by bathroom and examined his throat.

There, marring the tanned throat was a deep bruise already changing to the colors of black and blue. Touching his hand to the mark, Tidus cursed. Realization dawned. "Yuna!" he raced from the bathroom to the room the girls had taken to sharing and slowly pushed open the door. His eyes moved over each form until he spotted the gunner sleeping beside a murmuring Rikku.

Letting go of his held breath, he dropped down the wall. It was still early enough that he didn't feel the urge to wake the girls up just yet. "She's alright." he breathed out. "She's alright."

The sound of feet moving a few feet away alerted Cloud to one of his guests wondering about. When he heard the door to the bathroom open he rolled back over. Moments later, he was awakened again to hearing the girls' door open. That had him on his feet. Grabbing up one of his spare swords, he looked out his door to watch Tidus stumble back in apparent relief.

When the kid sat down, Cloud took a few silent steps out his doorway pausing when he reached Tidus' side. While his head remained down, the soldier took a minute to study the profile. "You're up early." he commented, crouching down beside him. "Bad dream?"

"You could say that." Tidus answered, his voice thick with concern as he looked up at Cloud. "I almost lost her, before the final fight with Sin." His eyes took on a distant look as he thought about those days when Yuna had vanished from Bikanel Island. "She went to confront Seymour, for a chance to send him on to the Farplane. At the time, I didn't know what would happen when she achieved the final Aeon. Only when Home blew up did I learn just what everyone had kept from me. And when we arrived at Gagazet, I learned of another way to save Yuna."

He fell silent as Cloud looked at him. "I never meant for her to fall for me, despite my feelings for her. I loved her since the first time I saw her stumble from Valefor's chamber on Besaid."

Cloud acted on instinct. "You need to stop thinking for awhile. Get your sword, there's some monsters in the Midgar ruins that need putting down."

"What about Yuna?"

"I've got my phone and Tifa can call it anytime. Come on." Cloud picked the boy up by his shirt, heading down the stairs a moment later. He waited as Tidus picked up his blue sword and then opened the door. "They'll be fine."

Tidus nodded, his eyes focused on Cloud as they left the room. "So, these monsters, where'd they come from?"

"There was a corporation here that used to specialize in making them. Most of them came from Hojo's labs, but others came from outside of Edge and Midgar." Cloud explained as he set the pace to Old Midgar. "When Weapon destroyed the Shinra tower everything fell to rot. The plate hit the slums and thousands of people died."

"There was a few Weapons in Spira, created from the Unsent on the Forbidden Isle. Yuna told me the Den of Woe was similar." Tidus interjected. "I'm sorry you all lost your home like that."

Nodding, Cloud pointed the way to Midgar. "We'll be back at Seventh Heaven in time for dinner. Until then, we rely on rations and luck."

"Great, my favorite sports food." Tidus answered sarcasm dripping into his tone as Cloud gave him an amused chuckle.

Yuna moved away from the window as Tidus disappeared with Cloud towards the ruined city. She'd awakened to his voice in the hall, knowing somewhere deep in her heart he had needed her. Stepping carefully over a sleeping Rikku, the ex-summoner slipped from the room.

Making her way downstairs, Yuna paused as she looked around the bar. Well, perhaps it didn't have a music corner, but that was alright. Looking down at her garment grid, Yuna began to hum as she depressed the Songstress dressphere and released her guns into the change. It only took a second as the transition ended and she realized she had an audience. A small girl and a boy stood in front of a rather tall man. Each had a hand pressed over their eyes as the man glared at her.

"Uh, hello?" she offered weakly.

The one time she could have slept in was suddenly interrupted by a furious barrage of cursing and accusations. Popping open one eye, she spotted two of her female guests leaving the room in a rush, each woman drawing something that looked suspiciously like a weapon. Groaning, Tifa wondered if she should just go back to sleep.

"Tifa! Tifa!" Marlene's voice penetrated the bubble of sleep as the barkeep rolled out of bed.

"Yes, Marlene?" she asked, reaching for her gloves.

"Daddy's in a fight with those women downstairs." the girl rushed out. "Are you going to help him?"

Nodding, Tifa stepped down the stairs slowly to cast a glare at Barret. "You'll pay for damages, Barret. Don't attack guests simply because they do something you don't like. I've told you about that before."

What did amuse her was that Barret didn't seem to have any permanent damage outside of Darkness, Silence, and Immobilize being cast on him. Each woman had somehow changed her clothes to another set and glared at the man. "What happened?"

"Yunie changed her dressphere, said hello, and he attacked." Rikku whispered angrily. "That's what he gets for attacking my cousin." Paine merely gave the man a glare before reaching into her pocket. Tossing a vial over Barret's head she removed the status affects and made her way to the bar.

"Next time, he'll learn why I'm called Dr. P by my friends." she said. "Yuna, you alright?"

"I'm fine." the summoner answered, her smile brightening up the chaotic morning. Turning around, she looked at the boy who had taken cover. "You alright? I'm sorry to have scared you like that."

Denzel shook his head, his eyes flitting to one woman to another. "I'm going to check on Marlene." he rushed out, his feet carrying him up the stairs in hot pursuit of his friend.

Tifa cocked her head. "I'm making coffee."

Cloud watched as Tidus took on one of the monsters from the outside world. His own had been quickly dealt with using a lightning all materia combination. As for the Blitzer, he depended on strength and speed alone to take out his foes. Which for the most part would work unless he was against something like the heavy shelled foe.

Tidus bit back a curse as he dodged one of the claws on the fiend, his feet carrying him some feet back. Unlike Cloud, he was prone to movement on the battlefield, his body carrying him one way or another. "Alright, ugly, I'm done with you. Warp!" he threw the spell at the creature and watched with some satisfaction as it vanished from the field. "And that's what they say is that."

"Took you long enough. Why do you rely on time magic? Don't you think you could learn something else?" Cloud commented.

Shaking his head, Tidus held up his arm. "Unlike you guys or the girls, I depend on innate skill over mystical orbs that have a chance of breaking. Besides, as cool as black magic and white magic are, all I need to do is ask for lessons from Lulu or Yuna." he shrugged.

"Right." Cloud answered. "We should move on, make sure we got the ones in this sector." Turning towards another section of road, Cloud set a stiff pace that had Tidus running to catch up with him.

Chapter 6: Gulls and Turks

Chapter 6

Jecht looked away from his friends, the summoner and Aeon boy talking of the days before Braska had died to defeat Sin. Long ago, memories stirred as he thought of his son out there in the world again. This time, with no Auron to make sure he kept out of trouble.

"What's the matter?" the man called Zack asked. "Worried about someone?"

Looking up at the Soldier, Jecht sighed. "It's difficult to explain enough. I'm not even sure how it happened."

"Try me."

"It's your head." Jecht answered, "Tidus is looking for his older brother. Though the time between them is probably greater now then before. However, unlike Tidus, we know the name of his brother."

Zack nodded. "Alright, so, who is this brother?"

Jecht grinned. "You might know him as Cloud Strife." Zack gaped at the Aeon, stunned blue eyes roving over Jecht's face. The older man tossed his head back and laughed, his humor palpable.

"You're joking, right?" Zack questioned. Jecht shook his head. "Does Cloud know?"

"I doubt it. Tidus was born in the dream. He grew up there only to come into the real world later." Jecht answered.

Zack frowned, wondering what kind of kid Tidus had been. Anything like the Cloud he'd met when they were working together? Jecht continued to speak, his voice held a gruff note to it. "Auron would know more about him, considering I wasn't there. Though, I remember him crying a lot of the time. He was always crying for his mother or something like that."

"It's obvious to me you care for your son." Zack drawled, "Yet, that doesn't explain your earlier mood."

"Ah. Tidus usually needs someone watching out for him. Always has."

"You don't have much faith in him, do you?"

Jecht gave the Soldier a long look. "More then you think, kid. He was the only one who could have done what he did. He may have been a crybaby, but he always got what he wanted. Stubborn little cuss." Standing Jecht looked around. "I'm going to get some rest. Talk to you later, brat." As suddenly as he was standing there, Jecht's pyrefly form scattered into dozen different lights.

Zack sighed, knowing he had to get the information about Tidus to Cloud, somehow. "Aerith, we need to talk." he called out, getting to his feet.

Everything according to plan, that's what Auron had told him when he'd been thirteen and trying out for his first Blitz team. As he thought about it, those words applied to more then just Blitz tryouts. It could cover many things. Fiends, Faythe, and even times like now when he was face to face with Yuna, late at night after a day of hunting monsters with Cloud. The long gash across his cheek had at first brought shock, tears, and then eventually, another lecture at the hands of his 'girls'. Whatever he'd been expecting long ago, it wasn't this. Rather then finding a brother who might back him up, he found himself in the clutches of not just his girlfriend, but her evil backup as well.

Sitting on a chair near the bar, Cloud was busy nursing his second glass of the 'hard stuff' as Tifa glared at him from beneath her bangs. Unlike Tidus, he was getting off easy. Finally, he decided, it was time to drag Cloud out of his silence.

"It was his idea." Tidus broke in, waiting for the round of shouts at the older blonde. When none was forthcoming, he frowned.

"You still went along with it!" Yuna cried out, her arms crossed over her white blouse. "Tidus, you could have been killed."

"But I wasn't, Yuna. I'm still the guy who helped take down Sin, remember?"

"But you weren't there when we had to destroy Vegnagun. You weren't there when...I don't know what I'd do without you. I can't lose you again."

"Yuna, will you stop worrying. If I was supposedly going to fade again, wouldn't it have happened already?" Tidus argued, his tone softening ever so much. "Look at me." Standing, he took her in his arms. "I'm still as real as the day I swam up from the ocean. No one and nothing will take me from you. I promise." Raising her chin with his fingertips, Tidus looked deep into her eyes.

"When I first came back, I shared something with you. Right before you shoved me into the waters at Zanarkand. Remember?" he asked. Yuna smiled, her eyes lighting up with the memory of the fun they'd had that day, and the words he'd told her.

"Cherish you," she whispered.

"And I'll cherish you in return." he finished releasing her from his arms. As he did so, Yuna's eyes rose to meet hers only to stop on the circular bruises around his throat.

"Tidus, what are these?" she asked, gently placing her fingers against them. The swift intake of breathe he released alerted her to some continued pain.

"Nothing." he answered, taking her hand in his own.

"These bruises, they look like something a Guado would do. Tell me, were you attacked by one?" Tightening her grip around his fingers, Yuna scanned his face for anything telling.

"Just... promise none of you will freak out?" he asked, not just Yuna but the entire group at large.

"What is it?" Tifa asked, setting down her rag. Cloud had finished his drink and was watching the other group with a calm that belied the nerves.

"I had a visit from Jenova and Seymour." Tidus dropped the words as non-chalantly as he could.

Yuna blinked at him, her face holding little of the rage that burned into life at the mention of her deceased husband. Yet, none of it could compare to the feelings of a threat towards Tidus. Before she could make a move, Cloud was across the room and grabbing Tidus' arm.

"Hey, what's the deal?" Tidus grunted, as Cloud pulled up his sleeve and looked down on his arm.

"No number." Cloud whispered. "How many times as she come to you?" His glowing eyes took on a new cast as he speared Tidus to the floor with a glare.

"Uh, once, I think." Tidus shrugged. Cloud took another look at the bruise before grabbing a bottle of the shelf from behind Tifa.

"I'm going to the church. Keep him here and away from weapons." Storming from the room, Cloud left. The roar of Fenrir's engine echoed as it tore off down the road.

Tifa was already slipping a pair of leather gloves on her hand as she leapt over the bar. "He has his reasons. Why not tell us about the visit you had?" she questioned.

Giving her a doubtful glare, Tidus recanted. "Alright. The squid asked me what I was. Apparently, she can't figure it out. As for Seymour, well, he tried to choke the life out of me, made some threats about Yuna and then your little friend Jenova took off with him." While his attention was on Tifa, Yuna slipped away from his hold and had turned to the female Gullwings. Speaking lowly, each girl seemed to hold a point of view. Finally, the Gunner held up a hand.

"I've got a plan." she said, looking at Tidus. "We'll try a sending." Tidus groaned, knowing where she was going with that.

"Yuna, you already did that." he commented.

"Maester Jyscal pushed his way back through, so why not his son?"

"Yeah, but..."

Yuna planted her hands on hips. "No buts. When Cloud gets back, I'll go get my things from Celsius and perform the sending. Besides, it's better this way."

"Yuna!" Tidus called after her as she stepped over to help Tifa. "Great, this is just great."

Pulling up in front of the church, Cloud removed a sword from Fenrir before heading inside. The bottle he clutched in one hand as he pressed open a door and scanned the interior for monsters or other unwanted guests. After the fight with Sephiroth, the people of Edge had begun restoring the sacred place to it's former glory. Like all of the other older slum buildings it's state of disrepair had barely caused him to flinch before hand.

As he walked along the aisle that led to the lifestream pool, Cloud considered what Jenova's visit to Tidus might have been. She was known for torturing her victims using mind games, but why Tidus? What was the deal with him?

As he leaned down next to the lake, Cloud looked at his reflection only to be startled back by a face replicating Tidus' deep in the water staring back at him. Unlike the fun-loving boy at the bar, this one seemed more prone to hatred and violence. Cloud remained silent as the figure pushed himself through the water and flipped over Cloud's head. As he landed, Cloud had spun with his sword in hand. The man looked around him, scanning the building before turning to the Soldier. "I have a message for you, Cloud Strife."

Pulling his brows together, Cloud waited for his mysterious guest to speak. The blonde man growled low in his throat as he faced him. "Your world and Spira are in grave danger. As you know Tidus is looking for a brother, Strife, and that brother needs to start looking for him. You are that brother. Though I doubt you'll believe me, so do what you need to confirm it."

"Who are you?" Cloud demanded, tightening his grip on his Runedge.

Turning to look back at Cloud, the apparition smiled. "Shuyin." he answered. "You should finish your business and get back. You never know when those two will be back."

Stepping out of the way, Shuyin gestured to both the spring and the door. Cloud kept his eyes on him as he uncorked the bottle and filled it halfway with the lifestream, his hand trembling the entire time as he remembered. "You're one of the dead, aren't you?"

"A shadow of memory sent to deliver advice." Shuyin answered. "I'm what Tidus would have become if the Faythe and Auron hadn't interfered. Be glad of that, for your little brother is more determined then you can ever possibly understand."

Cloud turned to look at Shuyin over his shoulder. "What do you mean?"

"It wasn't the Faythe that sent him back, though they helped. It was Tidus who pulled himself into the real world using his connection to Gaia." Shuyin answered. "Before you question how I know this, I suggest you consider the fact I'm dead and have access to the lifestream. If you know what to look for, there is nothing that can keep you from knowledge."

"You sound like Sephiroth." Cloud answered.

Shuyin grinned, "Your Sephiroth is nothing compared to me. All of man has darkness in them and that is where I come in. I've had a thousand years to perfect my talents. He has had less then fifty." He let the topic drop as he took a step to the lifestream. "Lenne is waiting and this world tires me. Go quickly, Strife." Running full tilt at the spring, he disappeared into it's depths in a burst of pyreflies. Cloud stumbled back, his foot barely retaining balance as he scanned the room for further unwelcome guests.

"Tidus... my younger brother?" he questioned, shaking his head. Corking the bottle, he slipped it into his pouch and replaced his sword in it's sheathe. Knowing of the boy's search, of his lack of training, and his penchant for finding trouble, somehow Cloud's world took on a new edge.

Leaving the church behind, Cloud slipped his phone from his pocket. Dialing a number, he placed it next to his ear. "This is Cloud. Hello Reeve, I need a favor. You got the ID analysis data on everyone in Gaia, right? Tell me, what do your files say on my mother, Lucia Strife."

A few minutes went by as Reeve answered his question. It was only a minute before Cloud was headed back to Seventh Heaven and the ones he cherished most.

Tidus thumped a foot against a chair as Yuna directed the 'Men' into moving something this way and that. His expression said it clearly, he wasn't looking forward to her plan. Long ago, he'd learned to hate the Sending and now... he liked it even less. High Summoner or not, Yuna herself had proclaimed herself an Ex-Summoner.

"Yuna, I really don't want you to do this." Tidus finally said. Turning to look at him, the gunner smiled.

"It'll be fine. The sending should keep them back for awhile, right?"

"I guess, but..." Tidus looked down at his hands, worry creeping through him. If something went wrong, what would keep him from disappearing like before? "Yuna, Sendings are for the dead. So, how would performing one now keep us safe?"

Yuna paused in her thoughts, turning to look at him. "You sounded just like Paine." she answered, "but I suppose you could be right. However, Seymour is already dead and this Jenova, who knows with her."

"Jenova isn't from our world. The Cetra called her the Calamity from the Skies." Cloud's voice broke through their conversation as he stepped into the room. Planting a hand on Tidus' shoulder, he used a foot to whip the chair the kid had just moved back around and pressed the younger blonde into it. "Hold still." he warned, using a single thumb to uncork the bottle.

"While this Sending thing might work in theory, trying something like that on Jenova might cause more harm then good. That's why we have this." Upending the bottle over Tidus' head, the former Soldier watched as the teen nearly jumped out of his skin to get away from the cold liquid.

"Yeowh!" Tidus hollered, raising a hand to wipe water from his face. "Water? What does water have to do with the blue faced hag?"

As he spoke, Cloud watched the fading of the 'bruise' disappear from Tidus' neck. "You had Geostigma." he told the kid. "And the water came from the Lifestream. It's the only cure for the disease. Denzel and I were both subjected to it, because of Jenova cells. That might be what helped your former foe return to life and if that's so, its because Jenova plans to use him."

Tidus shook his head. He remembered Seymour, his rants about becoming the ruler of a dead world, free of hate, sorrow, even death. Seymour was a master manipulator and one of the beings who could control the Farplane in it's very essence. "You're wrong." Tidus answered. "Seymour Guado isn't an easy victim unless you have the power to back it up. He was a powerful man before he died and it took more then three battles to send him on to the Farplane. We only succeeded because Sin was Jecht and he wanted to be Sin."

Tidus raised his eyes to Cloud. "So, why did you do it?"

"I have my reasons, part of them being I don't look forward to another return of Sephiroth." he answered. The two looked at each other, each recounting a tactical strength from their own paths.

"And the other?"

"Finding the strength to fight comes from my family." Cloud whispered, "I don't want them hurt."

Standing, Tidus nodded, his blue eyes looking towards Yuna and the girls' who sat beside her. "I know the feeling."

Suits, the name the less official parts of the WRO had labeled the Turks when they visited Reeve was not a friendly name. Many people still remembered the days of Shin Ra inc. and held it against them. Though Reno and Rude were amongst the more accepted levels the Avalanche members enjoyed. Their mission was to retrieve information for Cloud.

Something Rufus hadn't been prepared to do, but accepted anyway. So, they came to the former Shin Ra building and started looking for anything that would answer Strife's questions. Who was Lucia Strife?

Prying off a burnt control panel, Reno gave a grunt of annoyance. "This bites." he said loudly. "What does he hope to accomplish with this anyway? Isn't his old lady dead or something?"

Waving a hand at his partner, Rude kicked off another panel a few feet away. "You could say that." the fist fighter answered. Looking over his glasses at the steel case in front of him, Rude began running a finger over the metal. "H to M, N to O, P to R, S to... S." Slipping a thin wire from his sleeve, Rude took to work unlocking the file cabinet.

"If Weapon fried the upstairs, what makes you think that cabinet is going to have what we need?"

"Hojo designed it. Besides, that monstrosity was focused on the boss and not so much on the contents of the building." Rude answered, waiting for the tell tale click of the lock. When it came, he slipped a hand around the handle and pressed his thumb into a side lock. Pulling it open, he began rifling through the contents.

"Stu Lorg, Strife, Cloud; Strife, Lucia; Strife, ... The rest of this one is pretty faded. Maybe rain or something." Removing the Strife files, Rude handed them over to Reno who sealed them into an airtight container. Looking one last time around their previous office, the two men took their leave.

"Think Cloud will be glad to have this?" Reno asked as they walked.

"Only if he wants to know some very nasty truths." Rude answered, taking the sealed files from Reno. The two men bantered back and forth as they made their way to the waiting chopper.

Hours after the cleansing of Geostigma from Tidus' body, the Blitzer headed outside to get some peace. Within the bar, patrons were making more ruckus then he often enjoyed. While he was used to the loud sounds, he's spent more time then he cared to not practicing. When Auron had first arrived, he'd been nearly dismayed at the energy Tidus put off once he got over his departed parents.

So, the former monk had taken to teaching his sudden ward things from the temples, though Tidus hadn't been aware of it's nature until much later. All Auron did was challenge him. If he was unable to complete an exercise, Tidus would have to do some chore he found extremely unpleasant. In most cases, scrubbing something, like the floors or toilet.

The teen shuddered in memory as he looked up at the roof. Leaning back, the blitzer grinned. In this case, he was ready to work on his meditation and pull ups. Grabbing a corner of the roof, Tidus pulled himself up and scrambled onto Cloud's roof. When the blonde turned around, it was to see Yuna staring back at him in disbelief. Shrugging, he turned back to the road and sat.

Folding his legs under him, Tidus settled his hands on his knees and closed his eyes. The moment he began to focus, the entire world around him took on a new shape. Time ceased to mean anything as he let his thoughts stray to the ruined city of Zanarkand. The home he'd had there, the stadium, the lights, the times before he met Yuna.

His mother... she had died when Tidus had only been a small child. Though he didn't consciously want to think of it, the woman's name was lost to him. He still remembered the warm hugs she'd give him when Jecht left, telling him what a good job he was doing. Then there were the days Jecht would come home. His mother would turn from him, listen to his old man's stories, and ignore him. He'd learn to hate stories after a while.

If Jecht hadn't been bragging, then his mother would be telling them. So, he thought if he got good at Blitzball he could make them both pay attention. That was before his father disappeared, when Tidus still hoped in his own way to see him. Not that he was ready to admit it. Swallowing, the teen opened his eyes to look at the moon. 'It isn't going to work.' he thought. 'Eleven years, Jecht, since the day you disappeared, ten since mother died and I don't even have a ball to kick around.' Leaning back on his arms, the blonde groaned.

"Alright, I'll admit to it. I am stuck. Here it is, I'm looking for a mysterious brother who's name I don't even have. I'm hoping he'll know what I'm talking about when it comes to Jenova and Seymour. Then there's Yuna. We're both paranoid about losing one another or something bad happening." he quieted as he thought. "And Auron, you louse, aren't even here to help me figure it out."

Dropping onto his back, Tidus closed his eyes. "To top it off, the girls think I need to be lectured at least three times daily."

"Hey kid, you sound like you need a drink. What're you doing up there anyway?" Tidus sat up like a rocket, looking at the street where two uniformed men stood. "So, where did you meet Jenova?"

Leaning down over the side, the blonde gave each man a long look. "Yeah, she and I met as a courtesy of Seymour Guado, know him?"

Reno glanced at his partner, the dour man merely grunting as he went inside. "Never met the Godo person, but if he's keeping company with Jenova then I don't want to. So, what's your relation to them?"

Tidus shrugged. "Sent him to the Farplane." he answered, flipping down off the roof when he finished. "Who are you?"

"Reno. My partner and I are with the Turks. You got a problem with that?"

"Not unless you have a problem with me." Tidus answered. Turning to the door, he found his path blocked by Rikku. "Uh, hi. Rikku, Reno. Reno, Rikku. She's Al Bhed, he's a Turk or something. Have fun and don't stay out past your bed time." Walking around the blonde thief, Tidus put quick distance between him and them. One was enough, thank you.

Chapter 7: Superior Workings

Chapter 7

Rikku looked up at the suited man, her green eyes taking in the cocky stance he put off. "Alright, so, what do you do?" she asked.

"This and that. You?"

"Blow things up, salvage thousand year old machina, and steal things." she answered. A grin appeared on her face as she saw a look of utter shock pass over the man's face.

"You're joking, right? What's an Al Bhed anyway?" Reno asked, still trying to get over the blatant statement.

"No, it's what I do. As for the rest of my people, we specialize in Machina. You might call them machines, though." Rikku answered, crossing her arms. "So, care to clarify the this and that?"

"Nope." the red head answered, "though I could take you to dinner."

"Only if I can bring some Paine."

"It'd be Rude not to." Reno countered, his eyes narrowing on the diminutive blonde.

"Great. Paaaineeee! The turkey guy invited us to dinner and he's paying." Spinning around, she hollered into the bar. A moment later, a red eyed woman appeared with another Turk right behind her.

"That's 12, Rikku." Paine said lightly. "He's paying too. Something about swords and bombs caught his attention and prompted him to ask me out." She gave the red head a look as he grabbed his partner by the tie and pulled him close to whisper something to him. Punching Reno in the shoulder, Rude glanced at them.

"So, where you ladies wanna go?"

"There's Celsius, but I don't think I want Brother or Buddy breathing down my neck." Rikku murmured.

"The boss has a place, but he's in it."

"Hmmm." Paine looked at all three of them and sighed.

"What about your place?" she suggested. The two men froze.

"Reno, my place is still being ugh.. aired." Rude coughed. "You know, from the last time you came over."

"It was one little smoke bomb and that was three months ago."

"Reno."

"Fine, we go to my place." the red haired pilot growled. Pointing a finger at Rikku, he added, "And don't try any funny business."

"Who me? Why would you say that?"

"You steal things." Reno reminded her.

"Not unless it's worth stealing." she answered. Grabbing his arm, she steered him towards the road. "Let's go, Turkey boy."

"I'm a Turk. Not a turkey."

"And I'm Al Bhed." she told him. Shaking her head, Paine followed behind them as Rude brought up the rear. If Rikku had to become involved with someone, did it have to be a male version of herself?

"This is going to be a long night."

Rude's appearance at Cloud's elbow took his attention for only a moment. The packet in the bald man's hand was set before him as Paine glanced from one to the other. Cloud's glowing blue eyes flicked over the Shin Ra seal and then to Rude.

"Tell Rufus he'll have his money in a day or so." Cloud informed the Turk as he got up from his seat. "Tifa, I'll be in the office for a while." The brunette bartender nodded, taking a moment to refill a customers glass as Cloud walked past her to the stairs.

Looking up at the Turk, Paine spoke. "Paine." she said simply.

"Rude." he answered, giving the leather clad woman a second glance. "You a soldier?"

"Sphere hunter." Paine corrected.

Ascending the steps to the next level, Cloud paused on the outside of his room before pushing through to the main office. Long ago, when they'd reopened Seventh Heaven, he had requisitioned this room for his personal use for three reasons. It was wide enough to prevent claustrophobia, the second was because of his business, and the third most important reason had been its location between bar and family.

Slipping his chair out from the desk, Cloud sank into the rollaway seat and placed the package on the surface before him. He was about to take a step in another direction with his unknown guests. Sliding a finger under the seal, Cloud carefully broke it and slid three files out. The first one, he ignored, knowing deep down he wasn't sure he wanted to remember those days before Avalanche.

The second one, his mother's he set beside his own for later perusal of the information. Finally, he looked down at the third file. Slimmer then the other two, it only contained a few pages within. Flipping open the manila envelope, he began to read.

Name: Strife, ...

Sex: M

Hair: Blond

Eyes: Blue

Mother's Name: Strife, Lucia

Father's Name: ..., Jecht

Listed Siblings: Strife, Cloud (M) (5)

Catching his breath, Cloud reread the small portion of information before scratching a finger at the blanked spaces. Though some of the information had been purposefully blocked, some of it look omitted for other reasons. Flipping to the next page, he found himself looking down at what appeared to be a death certificate, a marriage license, and other small samples of information. Flipping back to the first page, Cloud stared at it for a long time.

So, the one who called himself Shuyin may not have been lying, but it didn't necessarily mean that he hadn't been set up. One more thing he had to do was a blood confirmation. Hair was the easiest sample, he figured. Easy to obtain through one reason or another.

"Damn you Sephiroth. Why did you have to burn Niebelhiem." he cursed. A lot of the information might have been stored in his home town for all he knew. Slamming a hand down on the table, Cloud took another second to breathe before sliding a key into a drawer. Slipping his files into the slot, he slid the drawer home and relocked it.

Somewhat frustrated, Cloud stood up and headed back down. He needed a better solution for his dilemma. He was sure of it, though informing Tidus of his discovery would only get the younger hoping for something that might be impossible for him to realize. He'd already lost so much, for him to lose more... it was asking for trouble, for both of them.

Trouble brewed beneath the surface as Jenova swam her way through the life stream, inspecting every last body of information that she could get her claws on. The silver tresses that marked her skull and glowing malevolent red eyes gleamed with victory over her latest find. Deep in the depths of the Farplane rested one of the few creatures who could help her.

Her name was born from the thousand years before the modern world, in a time after her own defeat at the hands of those nasty little vermin known as the Cetra. Yunalesca, the daughter of Yu Yevon had sat before her. The Lady Summoner had been sent here shortly after her defeat at the hands of her name sake and a dream her own father had helped create.

"The traitors." she whispered, "I remember those children well. Almost as well as I remember you, Seymour Guado. Tell me, did you find what you desired most?" A chill, humorless smile touched the pale face of the fiendish woman as she looked from one to the other.

"Power is within my grasp." he answered.

"And yet, you and this Jenova still require the knowledge that my father passed onto me." she stated. "You lack the power to follow through your commitments. You wish to return Sin without following through with the Summons. Zanarkand fell! Twice in a thousand years, my home was lost to me." She snarled, her violet eyes flaring into red orbs as she quickly stood. "And now, we who gave Spira hope are imprisoned in this land because of that."

Turning her body halfway to Jenova she smiled once again. "You require an Aeon. So be it. A summoner and a guardian. Bring me those and I'll give you your Sin." Resuming her seat, the Lady Fiend of Zanarkand dismissed the two with a wave of her hand. "And Jenova, remember, the stronger the connection between the two. The stronger the body of Sin."

A cackle slid forth from the Calamity's mouth as she nodded. "Of course, my lady." she answered. "Of course."

As she watched the departing creatures, Yunalesca's mouth twisted into a grim smile. "Father, you shall have revenge."

"Indeed daughter. Indeed." the floating eye of Yevon answered, the dark form hovering over her pale form. In the darkness of the Farplane, the daughter smiled. Soon, they would summon the dream once more and punish those who helped destroy it. It was only a matter of time before hope would be returned.

Spinning around in a circle, Yuna looked up into Tidus' face as he wrapped his arms loosely around her. The two of them had tried to find a way to liven up what could be determined a boring day and succeeded, especially from where Yuna stood. The dark color of her skirt and the blue sleeves detracted from the yellow and dark blues Tidus had favored for much of his life.

Taking hold of one of the gunners hands, Tidus brought her into the curve of his arm before spinning her back out. Watching them from the corner of her eye, Tifa let out a slow breath. Young love... it was so romantic and those two made it made the impossible seem real. If only... Stopping the thought before it could develop, the bartender took another swipe at the table she was cleaning before tucking the rag into her apron.

"They always like that?" she asked the young blonde across from her. Rikku looked up from a 'borrowed' machina and shrugged.

"You'll get used to it. It's funny, because Yunie never knew she was in love until he kind of... pfft. Though, I think Tidus knew almost right away." Rikku finished unscrewing the top of Vincent's phone and fished a pair of miniature pliers from her work belt. "Of the two, he's definitely the more romantic one. Not that he'd admit it." She looked up slightly from her work and smiled.

"Great." Tifa answered, holding back the bite of regret she'd felt for years. Cloud was her best friend and once, she even held hope they might have become more. Still...

"You love someone, don't you?" Rikku pounced on it, her thief instincts launching her at Tifa in seconds. "It's okay, you know. I can keep a secret."

"Don't believe her. Rikku only keeps a secret for as long as it takes her to find Yuna." Paine interrupted. Sitting down next to the other woman, she placed a leather clad hand on the table. "Love is only good for one thing and Yuna proved that time after time. Remember what she did for Shuyin and Lenne? She wants people, even the dead, to be happy. She would sacrifice herself to make it happen."

Tifa blinked. Where had that come from? "Paine, have you ever been in love?"

"Of course. So has Rikku and possibly even you. For me, it was and will remain something I choose not to discuss."

"You were in love with Baralai." Rikku blurted, removing the memory panel from the small machina. "Hmmm. You know, the memory chip sucks on this thing. I've got something that'll improve reception and make it connect to Shinra's commspheres too." Grinning, she returned to her work.

"Shinra? Is... that someone you know?"

"Yeah. He's a great kid, came up with all sorts of devices. To bad he's thirteen and only allowed to leave Djose with an adult. Gippal promised Rin." Removing a small chip from her belt, she clipped the metal piece onto the main memory pad, before connecting it with a small soldering rod. "There!"

Putting everything back in the place she found it, Rikku turned the phone on and watched the small display come up. "Now with a little push here and adding this here... Done! Walla, the first Commphone in Gaia and Spira both. Think it'll dial up Baralai, Paine?" Green eyes rose over the phone to look at her friend, only to find a very irate set of red orbs glaring back at her.

"You're in for a world of hurt." she hissed.

Rikku jumped out of her stool, sliding the phone into her yellow pouch with a, "Sorry! It was just a joke." Flipping over the bar, she landed on the other side of Tifa and planted the fist fighter between them.

"Oh, no! I'm not getting dragged into this one." Tifa laughed. While the girls turned on one another with Paine very much in the lead, it didn't take long for Yuna to be drawn into it. Tidus laughed at the mischief the four seemed to be drawn into, heading out of the line of fire. "Well, their having fun." he told Cloud, sinking into the seat next to him. "What about you? What do you do for fun?"

"Slay monsters and save the world." was his answer.

"You kidding?"

"No. It's what I do." Cloud answered, his glowing eyes shifting to the blonde next to him. "What do you do?"

"Me? I used to play Blitzball. Not just as a sport, but because I used to love the game. It's what Jecht did before me, so that may have something to do with it." Tidus answered. "At other times... I just got into whatever trouble I could."

Narrowing his brow, Cloud gestured for him to continue. Groaning, Tidus launched into one of his favorite pranks. "After my old man disappeared and Auron came... Well, life got pretty lonely. I mean, I was one of the few kids who actually lived on the dock. So, there I was just turned ten which is a year too young to join even a basic team. Anyway, I slammed my ball through Auron's window and nearly broke that jug of his in half. Boy, he was angry. He asked me why I did it and I just... Why am I telling you this?"

"Because I asked."

"Right." Tidus answered. "How'd you get such a mean slash anyway?"

Cloud coughed, his face taking on an expression that Tidus had never seen. "Zack. He taught me because I wanted to join Soldier."

Tidus grinned. "I just used to watch Auron practice with his big ole' sword. Didn't take me long how to work it out once the fiends attacked. The basic structure is similar to what we used in Blitz practice so... Why are you looking at me like that?"

Cloud's mind had gone through what seemed to be a relapse. Here he was, discussing Soldier training with a kid who seemed all... fun. "Using a sword isn't a game, Tidus. It means the line between life and death."

Tidus' face darkened. "I know that, Cloud." Getting up from the chair, the blitzer turned back to look at him. "I get that I wasn't from around Spira or Gaia. That I'm a figment of someone's imagination and therefore didn't experience everything you did. But... I still know what loss is. Maybe you should try and lighten up. Before you drive your loved ones away for good." Heading upstairs, Tidus retrieved two of his swords.

The young guardian didn't pause as he left the building, heading for the ruins of Midgar. Yuna paused in her pursuit of Rikku and quickly broke away. "I'll be right back girls."

Rikku, Paine, and Tifa all stopped in the small game before nodding, looking from where Cloud was sitting to the open door. If one knew the line of thoughts Tidus was capable of, then one would know that his being quite meant nothing more then trouble. Or a really bad mood.

Yuna barely paused long enough before Tidus stopped on the outskirts of 7th Heaven. The stiff shoulders he had presented to the observers within vanished when she approached him. "What happened?" she asked, her eyes flicking left and right to capture his.

"Nothing I won't get over." Tidus answered. "I was just thinking... Yuna, we have a job to do. Why are we staying here?"

Yuna frowned at the sudden downshift in her love's mood. "I know we are looking for some sign of Seymour and that Jenova creature, but what about this brother? Weren't you worried about him?"

"Yeah, but I... its been over seventeen years, Yuna. Who can say he'd even care about either of those two or even..." The gunner reached up and pulled his lips down to her own. Pressing herself close to him, she wrapped both arms around him. The sound of his dropped weapons echoed dully in the street as Yuna kissed him.

"Tidus," she whispered against his lips, "anyone would be proud to know you. To call you friend, brother, love. You smiled for me, even after you found out the truth on the pilgrimage to defeat Sin. You smiled knowing what it was we faced in the end. Tidus, you made those days brighter for me, Auron, Wakka. Everyone. You were the heart we needed most. If not for you... Sin would be reborn."

His arms tightened ever so slightly around her, bowing his head into her shoulder. "What do I do?"

"Scream?" she asked. Laughing at the suggestion, Tidus nodded.

"If it would help, I would." he answered. Pulling back he looked down at the woman he loved. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Yuna whispered into his ear as she leaned down and picked up one of the swords. Hefting Brotherhood with one hand she grinned when Tidus picked up his long sword. Sheathing the first blade, he held out his hand for Brotherhood. Yuna merely shook her head placing the sword behind her back, point towards the sky.

Tidus gave a long look before grinning. "Yuna, remember what Mika said?" The sour expression she replied with cracked him up. Gripping the sides of his stomach the last Zanarkadian laughed until he fell. Watching him the entire time, a smiling Yuna finally gave into it and dropped down beside him.

Observing them from behind glass, Rikku turned around to look at Tifa. "There good." she mouthed. Turning back to the window, she watched from behind the barrier, smiling softly at the antics the two seemed to be drawn into. Green spiral eyes eventually moved away from them to look up at the sky and she gave a wistful sigh. When was she going to find someone to make her that happy?

Shifting sunlight flowed over the roofs of houses when a darkened form moved closer to the street where Tidus and Yuna were located. The figure slowly rounded the corner, it's slithery form leaving a trail of slime across the ground as she passed by one person or another. Her escort, the long fingered Guado hissed at the sight of the two.

"Your summoner and her guardian." he growled out. The fingers on his hands curled as he remembered the last fight he'd had with these two humans before them.

"Silence yourself, Seymour. These children are more then perfect for our plans. Yet, I imagine the hate between foes would be stronger still. Choose. The guardian or the summoner. You will more then easily take the place of either considering your wish." Jenova answered, running her clawed fingers through her long tresses.

"So be it. We take the summoner, but I say we kill the boy. Leaving him around would be more trouble then worth it." he answered smoothly.

"Excellent." Twisting her head around, she smiled at the shadow that had been following them since earlier in the day. "My child," she drawled. "prove yourself to mommy and take Sephiroth's place in the stars. Bring us the girl, kill the boy."

"Yes, mother." the silver haired boy answered, bowing low to the ground. Flitting across the space that separated them, the remnant drawing twin daggers from sheathes on either side of his body. Twisting about, Tidus barely dodged the first blow before the boy turned on him. Flipping backwards, the dream caught the tip of a dagger with his arm, drawing a long red line down the side. Cursing, Tidus reached for his long sword while Yuna shouted out.

The rapid spin of changing dress spheres left Yuna in the form of a Dark Knight, the dark helmet obscuring the angelic face she usually presented. As the remnant turned to deliver a side kick at her, Tidus brought his sword down and across. The sting of metal slicing through skin forced the Sephiroth larva to spin back towards Tidus. Grinning, the silver tressed male came at the blitzer.

The two blades ricocheted off one another time after time as Seymour moved forward. Coming up behind Yuna, he grasped her around the waste. Screaming out, the ex-summoner drove her sword backwards, nicking the edge of the Maester's purple robe. "Tidus!" she called out as Jenova laughed at the chaotic scene before her.

Soon, her mind whispered. Soon, she would have a form to protect her from those who would defy her grand plan. Sephiroth would then be able to carry out his own mission as well. "Bring her quickly, Seymour." she drawled. The Guado fiend gave her a disgusted look, though he racked a hand across the young woman's skull and hefted her over his shoulder.

Tidus, turning ever so slightly at the scream felt panic slam into his heart. "Yuna!" he cried out. Running forward, he did his best to get past the remnant that blocked his path. The two daggers spiraled closer to his face as he was forced back. He could only watch, block, and curse as Seymour disappeared into black smoke with Yuna.

"YUNAA!" he yelled, driving his long red sword through the remnant's chest and out the back. Spinning about, his hand took up the dropped Brotherhood and sent the blue blade slashing across the remnants neck. The silver haired boy looked at him in surprise before his entire form burst into a wave of pyreflies. Falling to his knees beside the red sword, Tidus felt his entire world caving in.

The shouts didn't go unheard for long as Cloud tore open his door to look out at the scene before him. Only the departing form of Jenova clued him in on what possibly happened. Bustersword in hand, Cloud leapt out to chase her down when Tifa grabbed his arm. "Cloud." she whispered.

Tidus' hands shook as he pushed himself upwards, the digits closing reflexively on Brotherhood before he turned to look at the Soldier. Pain, bright and fresh had taken over the normally laughing face.

"They took her. They... Seymour!" he growled.

Chapter 8: Summoning Anew

Chapter 8

Something was wrong, her mind told her as her eyes fluttered open. The resting gunner sat up slowly, looking down at her slight form in shock. Rather then the familiar sight of her gunners dressphere, the entire outfit had been changed to her former robes. The long sleeves fluttered against the flowers as she pushed herself to her feet, turning to look in every direction. "Hello?" she called out, unsurprised with the lack of response.

"Lady Yuna." an old familiar voice remarked. Taking shape before her, Seymour extended one of his long fingered hands towards her. "It has been some time since we last met." Flashing green and blue eyes narrowed on the Guado as she curled her fists.

"Why did you bring me here?" she demanded. Smiling, Seymour took a hand into his own and carefully ran a nail over the skin.

"You should already know, my lady. Or must I remind you of Lady Yunalesca and her lord husband? After all, we are wed." he whispered, pressing a soft kiss to her palm.

Cringing, Yuna pulled her hand from his. "In your dreams." she hissed.

"As you wish. Everything shall go according to plan and you shall help. Or your lover will meet the same fate as his father. Understand?" Yuna's mouth dropped open in shock, horror filling her eyes as she stepped back.

"Leave him be!"

Seymour gave her a smooth smile, glancing down into her eyes as he stepped closer. "Then play along, Yuna and there will be no need to bring him into this." With the final words said, the maester disappeared from her sight. When she was finally alone, Yuna felt her legs give out beneath her.

"This isn't happening. Not after everything..." she whispered, looking down at a single purple bloom before her. "Tidus."

Not far from where Yuna was being kept, Lenne looked on in horror. She knew well that pain from the one you loved and disappeared over the Summoner's ache. Glancing over at Shuyin, the Songstress reached for his hand. Taking the man's hand in her own she pressed a palm to his chest. "What can we do?"

"Wait." he answered. "We'll just have to wait until all players show their hand." Lenne's lips tightened as she looked back at the other woman, the one to whom there was a slight if tenacious connection. "I know." she heard Shuyin whisper in her ear. "Trust me as I once trusted you."

"Alright, Shuyin." she answered.

Seymour turned around to glare at Jenova, the Calamity merely sitting back as if waiting for something. "Why do we wait?" he growled. "Sin is within our grasp." Looking up from her nails, the creature smiled.

"Worry not child. Sin will be ours in due time. I am merely waiting for an additional ally. You've not yet met my son, Seymour. You'll be glad for it when you do." she told him. Dismissing the man from any further conversation, Jenova turned her attention inwards.

As the dismissal washed over him, Seymour growled. His own dark energy crackled around him as he took himself away from the woman's presence and sent his conscious mind over the Farplane. Many spirits ignored him, even the ones turned fiend as he traveled. Nothing had changed here, he thought. The Farplane remained as still as the day the Guado first dipped their claws into it's energy. Pity, that.

There wasn't much chaos he could stir up without Jenova's help. The creature understood magiks he and his kind had never bothered with. That was probably what led him to her. Stopping near the spiraling gate to the underworld, Seymour glared at it. Once, Yuna and her friends had gone through that gate to stop something from blowing them all up.

His memory barely recalled what it was that she'd gone in there to take out. Only that the boy Tidus had led her from the Farplane a number of times during that fight. Scowling, he went back to the place Yuna was and watched the summoner sit amongst the flowers. He remembered how shocked he'd been at the change of personality. Nothing like a summoner should have been.

Rather then the refined quite that had so entranced him, she'd become exactly like those heathen Al Bhed. Even going so far as to tromp around Spira with machina weapons. Now she was back to her old self, or soon, she would be.

"You'll always be mine, Yuna."

The flux of power calling out from deep within Tidus' gut shook as the blitzer brought his sword into ringing shock against Cloud's own. The two of them had engaged in the dual once it became clear Tidus wasn't going to be very clear headed about things. Remembering his own fights with Zack during his ShinRa days had given him some vestige of idea what to do for his supposed younger brother.

"We should be looking for a way to get Yuna back." Tidus snarled, his blue eyes meeting Cloud's over Caladblog's edge. "Why aren't we doing something?"

"Not until you get control of your rage." he answered, shoving the smaller male back. "Listen to yourself Tidus. Panicking won't help her anymore then rage would. We don't even know where she was taken." Bringing the Buster Sword around, Cloud brought the edge of the blade down next to Tidus' shoulder.

"If you love her, as much as you think you do, you won't rush into battle. Trust me, Tidus." Cloud reached his hand forward, waiting for him to respond as the blitzer dropped his head in the dirt.

"Fine." he whispered. "So, what do we do?"

For the first time that day, Cloud grinned. "We have to make some preparation for the fight ahead."

"I hate you." Tidus muttered as he got to his feet, using Cloud's hand as leverage. "You just have to sound exactly like Auron...! Cloud, the Farplane. It houses the dead of Spira.

"This Farplane? What is it exactly?"

"The gateway to the land of the dead," he answered, dusting off the back of his shorts. "I was told it was where one goes when the wish to see their departed loved ones, one last time. The pyreflies help in that, reflecting the thoughts of those that encounter them."

Zack, Aeirth, my mother... "So it's safe for the living to enter it?" he asked.

"As safe as a Guado can make it. Why are you asking?" Tidus asked.

Cloud shook his head. "Have you ever been there?" Understanding lit up his eyes as he met the soldier's steady gaze.

"Once, I saw my mother there." Crossing his arms, Tidus looked at the dirt. "Spira's far from here and it takes a day or two to get across that distance. I don't want to leave Yuna with those fiends for too long."

"We do what we can, Tidus." the Soldier answered. "Let's go talk to Cid and see if we can get the Shera into the air."

"What about Celsius?"

"Not enough room. We're talking Avalanche and your group. Shera will have the room to spare and we'll have time to plan while we make the journey." Cloud answered, leading the way out of Midgar.

"You are one bossy guy." Tidus muttered.

Cloud released a breath as he urged himself not to knock the kid back on his duff. Was he this dense? So, this is what it's like to have a brother. I wonder why we never met before this and why he continues to think he's some kind of imaginary person. It's obvious to me that he isn't. Gaia, preserve us, but that dream... did it steal people from here simply to fuel itself?

"Never say die." Shinra yelled as he placed his last coin on the table between himself and Gippal. "You lose, Boss."

"What? Again? How do you keep doing that?"

"I got the higher end of the stick on brains." the boy answered as he grinned behind his mask. Nothing could have made this day better then ruining Gippal's winning streak over Djose temple. Since the day he'd helped Rin invent the game, he'd been practicing. Simply for a chance to rub it in the Elder's faces.

"You are still a brat." Gippal reminded him, giving his prided collection a sigh. "Well, take your pick and get back to work."

"Sure. I'll take these two." he answered, removing two of the higher numbered ones from the stack. Just as he was about to continuing crowing on his victory, his comsphere gave off several bleeps before switching into communication mode.

Getting to his feet, Gippal wondered over to it and poked the crystal orb. "Hello?" he asked it.

"Gippal? Is that you?" The call hadn't been entirely unexpected, but the speaker more then shocked the Al Bhed.

"Whoa, Rikku? What's happening' Cid's girl?"

"Yunie was kidnapped. We've got some possible leads on where she might have been taken, but we need confirmation before we head out and waste fuel. Think you or Shinra can put together something to scope out the Farplane for us?" The blond female asked, her voice remaining shaky as she spoke.

"Yeah, no prob, princess. Just tell me, why don't we have visual like usual?"

"Oh, that. Yeah, our hosts had this thing called a phone. Well, I borrowed one and made it a little better. I call it the commphone. I just need one of Shinra's spheres to add visual to it. But get to work on that sphere and send the coordinates to the Celsius when you're done."

"Sure thing, Cid's girl. Be good and we'll see you when you get back." Turning off the comm, he turned to the gathered people in the room. "All right folks, you heard the lady. Let's get to work and find our High Summoner. Shinra, you handle the sphere network while I get our spheres in the underground going. Let's hustle people." Spinning away from the center of the room, the Leader of the Machine Faction disappeared into his office to begin his own research.

Shaking his head, Shinra muttered to himself. "And that is supposed to be my older brother. What was dad thinking keeping him around?"

"I heard that, brat. Work, now." Gippal ordered from the kid's com unit.

"Yes, sir." Shinra answered pulling up the data on the commspheres from his computer.

Closing the flip lid on the phone, Rikku held it out to it's owner with a smile. "Thank you, for letting me use this Vincent." she informed him as she pressed the button down on her own comm unit. "R to Celsius, you in range?"

"Ooof course, Rikku. What are you doing down there? Not getting into trouble." her brother's voice answered. The blond shook her head as she considered how best to relay her information.

"We've got some problems here. Yuna was kidnapped and..."

"Yuna! I'll be right there."

"And we have retrieval." she mused to Paine. "But that's not what we needed, so, I'll just tell him that when he gets here."

"Rikku, are you sure it was wise to tell him Yuna was missing? You know how Brother can get." Paine reminded her, toying with the spiked necklace she wore around her neck. "Remember the floating temple on Gagazet?"

"Yeah. But he lived through that, so, no problems." Waving a hand at the older girl, Rikku turned to look at the mug of water in front of her. Two years ago, she'd helped save Spira and again when she and the others had taken on Vegnagun beneath the planet's crust. So, how was she supposed to handle this new threat? Sure, she'd picked up her cousins habits of smiling when times were tough...

"Don't worry to much Rikku. We'll get her back." Tidus' voice interrupted her thoughts. "Remember, Plan A?"

"No matter what." she answered. "You did accomplish it."

"We all did. So, let's make this work to the same plan and if that fails, there's always plan B." he told her.

"Kicking butt." she laughed.

"Exactly." the blitzer laughed. "Now, I'm going to go do something I've been doing to keep myself from exploding since this whole thing started."

Blinking, the Al Bhed watched as Tidus left the room. Ticking off the seconds on her finger, she snickered when his scream caused everyone but her to draw weapons and look around in surprise. "You guy's can relax. He's just venting his frustration, you know?"

Watching the glowing eyed male raise a brow at that, she spun around in her stool and sunk her head into her palm. "Paine, I'm worried about her."

"I know. So am I. That's why we left people back home and why we came here. Baralai and the others can do what they do and we'll do what we do. Everything will work out, I promise that." Paine said as she took the seat next to her friend. "We're Gullwings. We never give up, remember?"

"Yeah." Rikku answered. "We'll get Yunie back and then give ole' Seymour a butt whooping."

"He'll be in for a world of hurt." Paine added.

Shaking her head, Tifa gave a soft smile to Cloud. "Reminds me of ourselves when we were that age." she told him. Shaking his head, the ex-Soldier headed for the stairs.

"I'm going to help Tidus with something. You got everything down here?" he asked.

"Yeah. I've got a few new helpers I didn't have before." she indicated Rikku and Paine. "Yuffie can help too, since we are going to be discussing how best to get their friend back."

Waving her to the others, Cloud ascended the stairs to find Tidus lingering just outside of Denzel's room. "There's something I want to show you. Got a minute?"

"Sure." he answered, raising his eyes to Cloud's own. "What is it?"

"Materia. Those girls seem to have a way to get around their limitations, but you don't seem to have that down yet."

"Yeah, Shinra hasn't been able to figure out a grid for men yet." he answered, curiosity pricking at his mind. "What did you have in mind?"

"Follow me." Turning into his room, Cloud gestured for Tidus to come in and closed the door after him. Digging through one of the accessories trunks, he removed one of the bracers he'd used in the final battle. The battered piece of armor held seven slots, all empty of the glowing stones. "Put this on."

Holding out the metal, he waited as Tidus fitted it over his free wrist before arching a brow. "Now what?"

"Watch." Releasing one of his swords, Cloud flipped it over to reveal the glowing stones set into the inlay of the weapon. "This is what the slots are for. We use the materia in the same manner you might use those sigils. Only for us, they empower different abilities. Magic, Command, Summon, and Status. Each stone as you know is color co-coordinated. Remember?"

"Yeah, I think so. But I'm still not following."

Shaking his head, Cloud reached into his pouch and removed three colored orbs. "Phoenix, Hades, and Shiva. Three summons still in the early stages. It'll take some work with the stones, but you'll be able to even the field if you use these."

"Whoa, summons in Spira are a bad thing, remember? Sin was created as a summon thanks to Yevon." Tidus cautioned.

"Since these come directly from the planet, I don't think that enemy of yours would have much hold on them." Cloud answered. "Because if so, then Gaia would have had numerous problems with it by now."

"Okay. I'll play ball. What about the other slots?" Tidus asked as Cloud set the materia into three of the placements.

"Counter and Cover for two of them. Followed with Restore materia and perhaps... Which element magic do have an a strong connection to?"

"I've been exposed to water all my life. So why not that?" Tidus replied, still trying to figure out where Cloud was going with this. Adding the next three stones, the soldier removed the last piece of materia.

"This is a unique one. Underwater use only. Go for a dip and it'll let you breathe for longer then you live."

"I'm a blitzer. Twenty minutes under the water at a time, you realize?"

"And what if you need longer then that?" Cloud countered, setting the last stone into place.

"So you got a point. I'm still not sure what you want me to do with all these rocks."

"Use them. I'll make sure you know how before cutting you loose, Tidus." Swinging around, he opened the door of his room and pushed his guest back into the hall. "Come on. Outside is the best place for what I've got in mind."

"You're nuts, you know that? Teaching someone who isn't even from around here how to summon Aeons from rocks. What good is that going to do?" he rattled.

"Tidus, wait and see before you go knocking it." Noting the girls had gathered around one of the tables, Cloud headed out the door with Tidus. Checking the street for room, the Soldier rubbed a finger over one of the summon stones in his arsenal. Giving Tidus a look from the side of his eye, he called up his old favorite.

"Bahamut Zero!" he shouted, throwing his arms out in front of him as the sky suddenly darkened over head and the creature ripped through the atmosphere to stop before them. Snorting, the dragon tossed his head before just as quickly dispersing.

Tidus felt his mouth drop open at the sight before he turned to glare at Cloud. "THAT is wrong on so many levels. All you had to do was stand there. Yuna actually had to work at it."

"The fight to achieve these 'rocks' as you call them, was more work then I want to even remember. Listen to me, Tidus, I know you've had a tough time, but maybe it's my turn to share something with you." Cloud answered, turning to face the younger man.

"Nearly seven years ago, I had a friend. Zack was a brother to me, he got me out of the Niebelhiem labs, and died to make sure I had a chance to live. Not long after that, I lost someone else dear to me. She was connected to Zack in many ways and what attracted me to her was Zack's memories. Shinra's doctor Hojo played with my head during the time I was in those labs of his. It was only after getting Mako poisoning that my mind started to straighten out. I'm still trying to separate the individual memories from each other." Cloud told him, locking a hand around Tidus' shoulder as he continued. "I looked up to the man who destroyed my life. I lost friends and family to him. So don't think you're going through grief alone, because no matter how you look at it... Others will have to go through the same thing eventually."

Nodding, Tidus gripped the Soldier's wrist. "Just remember to laugh once in awhile, alright? I get the whole grief thing, but I also know what doom and gloom can do to a guy. I've seen it and man, it isn't pretty."

"What does that mean?"

"We called him Seymour." Tidus responded, breaking away from Cloud's grip as he examined the new bracer. "So, I just do something like this?" he asked as he suddenly tossed out his arm and watched a giant bird take shape right in front of him. Blinking at the creature, he was equally stunned when it flew right into him. Warmth spread over his entire body as he felt the coldness in his limbs evaporate as if never being there.

Touching a hand to his chest, he looked up at Cloud. "What did birdie just do to me?"

"I'm not sure. Phoenix is a revive type. Brings the group back from the brink of death. Ever hear of phoenix down? They're the same thing."

"Huh, who knew Aeon Rocks were that useful." Tidus mused.

"Materia, Tidus. We call them Materia." Cloud insisted, turning to head back inside before the younger blond pulled him into another verbal fight.

"Alright. Materia. So, what now?"

"We wait for Cid to get fully fueled and Rikku's friend to get back to us. If you get antsy, come find me. I have half a million things to get done with anyway."

"What about Yuna?" Tidus called after him. "How can we get to her?"

"Two ways. We follow the girls way or take a swim into the lifestream, which I don't recommend. Recovery time for that can take a while." Cloud answered, turning to face the teen as his face fell.

"Cloud, I have to save her. I'll do whatever it takes to reach her. Please, help me?" Pain gripped his gut as every instinct told Cloud to give him an undeniable no, but he remembered his friends. Aerith had died because he'd been unable to get to her in time. Zack had died to protect him from ShinRa military men.

Was this even any different? Could he actually lead his supposedly younger brother into danger, knowing what it might do to him? "Tidus, I... the lifestream is dangerous. I've told you that."

"I'm not like other humans, Cloud. Trust me, I've done more then place myself in the line of fire before. I can't loose Yuna. I love her too much for that." Tidus answered, sweeping his arm in front of him. "What proof do you need?"

"Tidus, if you enter the lifestream it will destroy you. Do you understand that?"

Closing his eyes, he nodded. "A dream is nothing more then a figment of someone's imagination, right? Cloud, I was brought into this world because of Sin. If it's Toxins' barely affected me, then I doubt the lifestream would have the same effect. You asked me to trust you. Trust me in return. I know what I'm asking for."

"No, Tidus. You don't. You think you do, but how can you? You don't even know the history of Mako or fully understand the materia you now have. Can you handle the impact of millions of minds on your own?"

"If that's what it takes." Tidus answered. "I'll do it with or without your help, Cloud. Yuna is the most important person in the world to me and I'll do whatever I have to, to keep her safe."

"Tidus!" Cloud barked. "Look at me. Take a good look at my eyes and understand that I got lucky. The lifestream can kill as well as heal."

"It's still a better chance then just waiting around to find her. In that time, who knows what Seymour or that Jenova witch could do to her."

Cloud growled, his hand going instantly to his sword as he struggled to pull back on his anger. "You are persistent, I'll give you that." he muttered. "But... you will have to listen to every order I give you. The lifestream is a dangerous place and I've never willingly gone in. Navigating it was something out of my understanding."

Nodding, Tidus nearly smiled, but ceased when the Soldier strode into the bar. He was back moments later with a large bag clasped in one hand. "We do this my way or not at all." he repeated as he tossed the bag at the blitzer.

"Understood."

"We're going to Healin Lodge. There's a stream of free flowing Mako there and it should take us to the center of the lifestream. There's every chance we'll die, Tidus."

"I've been there Cloud. Death is a lot better then not existing at all." he answered, placing the bag over his shoulder as his counter part revved up Fenrir.

"So be it. Just remember I warned you." There was no satisfaction in his voice as Tidus mounted the bike behind him and in seconds they were roaring down the road. Within the building, Tifa let her eyes follow after them before turning back to the girls.

"We need to get to Spira, now!" she ordered, looking each female in the eye. "Cid will have the Shera ready to follow, but can we get your Celsius to get us there quickly?"

"Sure, but what's this lifestream got that the Farplane doesn't?"

"You know what makes you're blood flow, right? That's what the lifestream is to the planet. It's life blood. Cloud is buying us some time to get there. But I know him, even if Tidus doesn't get it. Cloud will make sure Tidus keeps his promise."

"But at what cost? The last time Tidus kept a promise, he disappeared for two whole years." Rikku whispered. "What cost will it be this time?"

Tifa looked down as she remembered the prices they'd all had to pay to defeat meteor and to stop Sephiroth from destroying everything they loved. "I wish I could answer that, Rikku. I really do. It seems that Cloud and Tidus will forever be pursuing that which will hurt themselves in favor of those they care for."

A sour expression passed over the girl's eyes as she made another call to Brother, asking him to speed up his travel time. She was getting more worried by the minute, for if they found Yuna but not Tidus... She remembered how close her cousin had been to giving up then.

"I hope, that for both their sakes, they'll not do anything stupid. Everyone is relying on them." Rikku answered.

Chapter 9: Final Chapter and Then Some

One sword flashed against another as Tidus glared up into the offending eyes of his foe. Darkness pierced the heart of the ruined city of Zanarkand, the fading edges glittering against a watery background as the Blitzer ducked under the force of a powerful swing. Rolling to his feet, he flipped backwards to land a few feet from his laughing foe. The foe gave him an evil smile as he brought his weapon back up.

When he had first come to on the shores of his home city, the Zanarkadian had been surprised to find it lingering. Traveling through the darkened streets reminded him of his last few days in the dream world. Sin's attack was the least of the city's concerns now, he realized as the dark apparition rushed headlong at him. Swallowing the shout of outrage at his foe, Tidus met his blade with a clash of his own.

For every blow he delivered unto his enemy, Tidus felt twice more. Biting down on the questions spinning around in his mind, the blitzer pushed further ahead with his attack. Bearing down on the locked weapons, he pushed his weight behind the sword. At first, barely anything happened when he noticed the slight give of his foe's knees.

Taking that as an indication that his victory insured, Tidus suddenly found himself on his back looking up into cold green eyes. The feelings that crept into his body scared him into the center of his heart as the maddened eyes fixated on the oceanic blue ones. "How long will you be able to last? Can you fight back a memory or are you planning to fade with the rest of the dreaming fools who abound here?"

"Oh, don't you wish you knew the answer to that!" Tidus scoffed as he met the Dark Angel's attacks. Who in the Vio Infinito was this person? Long silver hair poured out over the villains back, offsetting the black armor and wing that seemed to make him even more of a fiend. The man was a total whack job! Blue eyes narrowed in fury at the laughing mad man before he sprang back to his feet. Pfft, he had helped to defeat Sin and Seymour combined. Then the Aeons as Yu Yevon possessed them over soul. "Ugh, you're more annoying then Seymour!" he quipped when the warrior once more tried to pierce his sternum to the ground.

With a blast of haste and auto life cast over him, Tidus switched out his blade for his Celestial Weapon and Shield. The warrior paused as if trying to comprehend what the dream had just pulled when he found himself on the receiving end of a Scan Spell.

Sephiroth's brow narrowed. The boy had no materia anywhere on his person. 'How?' he asked himself. "You were able to cast a spell with no materia. How quaint."

"Well, I wouldn't say I had no materia. I've just never bothered to actually use it." Tidus answered as his blade rose against Sephiroth's own. Pyreflies ghosted around the blond warrior as the silver lunatic gave him a sadistic smile.

"Indeed." he answered.

Tidus jerked his head to the left as Sephiroth charged up another spell, aiming a meteor at him as the Blitzer attempted to minimize the damage of the magical offense, Tidus brought his sword up in a slash, missing the leather clad foe by centimeters. The guy was surely playing with him, he decided. How had he gotten under Cloud's defense? He asked himself, because there was no doubts in his mind the similarities between the two of them.

Taunts were not going to work. He was no Seymour or Cloud. This guy was coldly logical in his madness. He laughed and taunted as easily as Tidus did. Narrowing his stormy gaze at the fiend, he reached for the first of his materia.

"Phoenix!" The burn of sensation right before his body disappeared scared the royal Holy from his flesh. In seconds, he found himself face to face with an old familiar friend.

The boy smiled before waving a hand of dismissal at the summoned dream.

"Bahamut!" He shouted before he went back to the land of the fading dream. Landing in a heap, he stared in helpless abandon at Sephiroth as the General twitched in irate indignation. Scorched earth marred the road between them and Tidus slowly pushed himself to his feet. "Haste!" he whispered, casting the spell over himself as his sword crashed against the silver haired Soldier's.

Responding in kind, the son of Calamity drove a fist into the blond Blitzer's gut. Power coalesced in his fist as he spotted an opening in the youth's guard. Forcing him back, Sephiroth laughed, his madness finally voicing itself through to the surface. "Despair, child, for everything ends now." he promised.

Blood raced into his temples as Cloud came to himself on the edges of a battlefield. Destruction faded in and out around him, matching the tempo of clashing blades in the near distance. Every instinct he possessed told him to flee this place least he be caught in something better suited to the dead. Despite the inner warning, the ex-commando began a quick march in the direction of the battle. Only when he crested the top of a building did he feel the rise of inner fury. The fading Phoenix screamed once more before his younger brother resumed his physical form on the material plane. Drawing forth his sword, he was already racing forward as Sephiroth drove the younger back a foot. Watching the General bring his sword up for a final blow, Cloud intercepted the Ultima Weapon clashing against the Masamune with a ring of steel.

"Sephiroth." he drawled.

Green eyes glowed, matching the Mako bright of Cloud's own. "Cloud." the Fiend answered. "Good of you to come."

A surprised sound touched his ears before the battle began once more in earnest. Throwing himself forward, the dark clothed soldier met his former Commander in a blaze of blue light. Tidus felt his feet slide from under him at the force of wind that came up around him at Cloud's burst of speed.

"Okay." the blond told himself. Removing an elixir from his back pouch, Tidus swallowed the liquid before tossing another at Cloud's back. A shower of blue lighted the fighting elder before he heard the grunt of thanks. Shaking his head, the Blitzer tapped into his natural abilities once more and cast Cheer over his new partner in battle. The sudden increase of power went unnoticed until Tidus hurled himself back into the fray, catching Sephiroth's unguarded back in surprise.

"The interference is unappreciated, worm." The general informed him before a blast of fire caught his unguarded leg. Flipping backwards to avoid another attack in his direction, he merely smiled.

"Ah, but then I'd be bored. Sides, in this game, I never give up." he responded. Cloud's face merely darkened as he moved forward once more.

"Tidus, stay out of this," he ordered softly. The Blitzer's brow rose in surprise at Cloud's bitter tone. It was as if he faced his own form of 'Sin'. "Sephiroth is my problem to take down."

"As much as I might agree with that sentiment, Cloud, I doubt you would let me chase down Sin by myself either. So, no go." the Youth answered as he flipped his sword around to block a sudden attack from the Masamune blade. "Sheesh, at least Auron's sword looked like it could take a hit. What is that thing? It's like a toothpick for Ifrit."

"I'm going to enjoy cutting you into ribbons, child." Sephiroth snarled back at the jock as he bounced away from the suddenly enraged foe back flipping to land on his feet. "Che. Where did you find this one Cloud? He's almost as annoying as our old friend Zack."

Fury boiled to life as Cloud suddenly dashed forward, his buster style sword glowing with blue energy as he charged the Spawn of Jenova. With half a mind, the other blond barely ducked to the side as the two old foes clashed blades in mere seconds of the name Zack.

Giving a low whistle of sound, Tidus watched them duke it out as he waited for an opening of when he would be of some use to Cloud. Time was no friend of his, he reminded himself as he cast a Hastega over the battling Soldier. "Where's Auron when I need him?" he muttered to himself when he felt a hand descend on his shoulder.

"You had to ask, Tidus. Get your brother and get out of here. Yuna is running out of time." The rough voice nearly startled a scream from the blond blitzer with the warning cutting it off. "Leave this thing to Braska and me. Jecht will show you the way out."

"What…?"

"There is no more time. You must hurry." Auron walked past the youth, intercepting Sephiroth's blade with his own samurai sword. Glancing up at the Soldier through his glasses, he spoke. "I will be your opponent. Cloud get Tidus out of here. Jecht is waiting on you both."

"But Sephiroth…"

"She's running out of time. This one is merely trying to keep you from succeeding in your goal. Now hurry!" he ordered as blade struck blade again.

"You're a skilled one." Sephiroth hissed as Auron answered his comments with another strike of Masamune.

Pushed out of the battle, Cloud turned to face Tidus who shrugged before gesturing towards the road. "Yuna." he said simply.

"Right," With one final look behind him, Cloud led the departure as Auron and another robbed man merged into combat with his mortal enemy. He could only hope that they had the skill needed to keep Sephiroth busy long enough for Tidus and he to get away.

"Our path is there." Tidus said from beside him, blue eyes focused ahead. Not far from their position was an open portal that spiraled around in circles giving only shadowed hints at what laid beyond.

"Tidus." The man beside him called out, "Take care of yourself in there. I know you're capable but your Yuna is counting on you."

"I know." The smaller blond answered him, eyes flickering over the gateway to their coming battle. "Let's go."

"Lady Yuna, what you are intending to do with Mother?" Six asked as he led them through the far plane underworld. Much as the boy said, neither of them were attacked on their travels. Stopping at the unexpected question, Yuna looked down at him.

"Your mother?" she answered. "Who is your mother?" The only one she could possibly name, as being an Unsent's mother was the long departed Anima.

"Mother is the Calamity. We are the Stigma of her blessings to your world," the boy answered.

Hands shook as Yuna looked down at the boy child. Was he joking with her? "Six, what are you saying?"

"When you destroy mother like the others before you did, will you destroy me too?"

"Yuna!" Tidus's familiar voice broke away any answer Yuna might have given the young Six when her head turned up to see the blitzer rushing to her side.

"Tidus."

Warm tanned brown arms looped around her, loosely holding the Brotherhood in his left hand as Tidus tucked his head into her shoulder and breathed. "Your safe." he whispered softly.

"Lady Yuna, who is this…? Big brother is here too." Six scowled as he stepped away from the summoner and the two men. "Then it is decided. Mother's law will prevail in the extermination of Big Brother and all of his allies."

Arriving at their sides, Cloud gave an impassive glare at the scheming boy-remnant. "Jenova and Sephiroth will never become victorious in this world." He responded as the child armed himself with a vicious war hammer. Drawing his Runedge from the sleeve across his back the Soldier took his stance. Beside him Tidus armed himself with the Brotherhood. In Yuna's turn it was a magical shift from Summoner's garments to armed alchemist. The large gun over her shoulder would offer defense while enabling her to deliver quicker aid to the swordsmen.

"So, this tyke is really some kind of fiend? That's messed up, kid, really."

"Silence ally of the traitor and prepare to be destroyed." Six answered taking a vicious swing at Tidus.

Leaping out of the way of the attack, the blitzer scowled at the child. "You are messed up." Holding his arm out in front of his allies, Tidus gestured them back with his single hand. Stepping around the child he reached deep into his reserves of time magic. Finding what he was looking for, he threw his power out over the remnants body.

"Goodbye." he shouted as the space and time planes around the child warped and bent out of shape to bubble up around Six until he was locked in a sphere of immense power. Watching the plane wrap around the child, moments later, the boy vanished to wherever it was the spell took people and fiends it was used on.

"Tidus, that spell… Why that one?" Yuna asked, stepping around to look at him.

The blitzer smiled at her. "It didn't feel right beating on some kid just for liking his mother."

"You banished him from this field of existence. How is that even better?" Cloud asked, giving his younger brother a long look.

"Eh, well, you see. When I use that particular spell it directs the person it took away to somewhere called the Vio Infinito or maybe it was the Dream. What did Bahamut say about it…." Dwindling in to a mumbling monologue, he missed the looks of exasperation that followed him as he began once more down the intended road towards their destruction.

Glancing sideways at Yuna, he shook his head. "Is he always like this?"

"Pretty much." she answered, giving chase to Tidus a second later.

Twisting away from his new foes, Sephiroth 'hmphed' at their tenacity in the pursuit of himself. Since finding himself banished to the dying world of a dream, there had been a never ending rush of foes trying to destroy him once and for all. This new battle was no different. Bringing his Masamune against his foes heavy blade, he sneered at the man called Auron.

"You are certainly different then the others I've fought in this misplaced realm." he said dryly. Glancing to the side, the General Nightmare slipped backwards until he came to a standing halt beside his mother's head. "Well, how are things topside?"

"Soon, you will have everything you desired my son. This planet will soon be yours for the taking. There are a few small details we need to get through of course. Seymour must be convinced he should perform the summoning since the girl escaped. Be wary of her, Sephiroth. She can use and possibly manipulate Holy against us." Jenova whispered to him, as three of his mothers remnants rushed to the fore to engage his pursuers.

"I see. Anything else I should know?"

"Be wary of Yunalesca. She speaks to something we cannot see. Perhaps there is more to her willingness to see Sin returned then we might expect. Deceitful creature." Jenova hissed. "Deal with these foes and come meet me in the nether realm of the Far Plane. There is something there you should see."

Nodding his assent, Sephiroth scooped the head into his arms. Using the last sparks of his waning energy, he teleported himself and his mother to the exit created by his pursuers. "Remember me fondly, gentlemen, for I shall always be a part of you now." he said in farewell.

Slipping through the stream to the plane, Zack felt his body flesh out with Aerith right beside him until the two of them were face to face with none other then Shuyin and his lover, Lenne. Crossing his arms in front of his chest, the Soldier directed his glowing glare at his fellow male.

"Well, why did you call us here?" he asked. "Re-birth can be kind of hard to succeed when you can't get ready for it."

Shuyin looked at Lenne beside him. Stepping towards the soldier, the Songstress bowed. "I apologize but there is something the four of us must do before Jenova and Yevon can act. Shuyin will need our help in order to succeed."

"What's wrong?" Aeirith asked.

"Vegnagun must not be left unprotected. Even disassembled as it is, they could very well reconstruct it and turn it on the planet." Shuyin explained. "I think we should take it somewhere far from the reach of…"

"The life stream goes everywhere." Aerith countered. "Perhaps, we can do with it what was done with the black materia."

"That's unfortunate. However, Vegnagun has a program set to self defense. It learns how its foes function and then reacts. If I can set it to keep itself away from all individuals except those keyed to it's program we might succeed." the Farplane Shade said, glancing at the way he had watched Yuna and the two males travel.

Shaking her head, Lenne sighed. "It's already been keyed to that, Shuyin. Yuna and her friends destroyed Vegnagun's body."

"That won't stop Jenova."

Zack sighed. "Why don't we just get the Turks to come and take care of that thing. Or better yet, find someone with the same skills as the Turks but a lot more trustworthy."

Snapping her fingers' Lenne smiled. "The Al Bhed. Better yet, the Machine Faction. It's led by a man named Gippal who knows machines better then anyone else in all of Spira. If he can't figure it out…"

"How do you know so much about this guy?" Shuyin scowled.

"I was with Yuna since she first equipped my sphere, Shuyin. She and Rikku, her cousin, spoke of Gippal quite a bit. I think the little Al Bhed has feelings for her former love still." Wrapping her arms around her lover's waist, she tucked her head into his neck and smiled.

"Great. So, what about this Vegnagun?" Zack asked Aeirth, ignoring the flowering scene in front of him.

Closing her eyes, the flower girl tilted her head until she suddenly popped her eyes open. "The planet is sending four of it's Weapons to protect the remains of the machine."

"The planet? You talk like it has intelligence." Shuyin scowled. "Like it can be programmed like Vegnagun was."

"The planet is much more intelligent then many people would ever suppose. She, Gaia, is our womb, our life source, and the very entity that we emerged from. She speaks to those willing to listen and she gifts us with so much." Aerith answered him. "She is far greater then any machine."

"Right and Vegnagun can just blow her and Spira up along with her." Shuyin answered. A gentle smack against his arm halted any further conversation he might have given when Lenne stepped back.

"We should probably go and keep watch over our heroes, hmm? Besides. Zack and Aeirth might be a tad interested in Tidus, don't you think?"

Nodding, Shuyin gestured to the others, and led the way down the path. "I bet your wondering what we're talking about, huh?" he asked Zack as he and the Soldier took the lead.

"Of course. What's so special about this Tidus?"

Shuyin smirked. "He's your Cloud's younger brother."

The three of them walked, speaking of their adventures with their friends, awing their company in battle as much as the next person. Everywhere Tidus went the light seemed to grow just a tad bit brighter. Everywhere Yuna stepped the laughter brought on a strange feeling inside the soldier. As for Cloud, it was almost as if he had found the missing link to his family. These two were becoming precious to him.

Light, hope, and family were the things that brought these three under the will to protect all that stood around them.

"Tidus," Cloud called, "I've a question for you. You said you were born in the city of Zanarkand. If such a large city existed, would not have Shinra found it?"

Pausing at the odd question, Tidus tilted his head up to look at the older blond. "I suppose they might have if Sin hadn't completely demolished it. It had this thing against technology…"

"Then why did it never find it's way to Gaia?"

Yuna's head shot up. "Sin was a summoning of many Faythe. Perhaps, like all the others it had a range of movement that was limited."

"Perhaps," Cloud agreed. "You also mentioned the existence of a weapon within Spira. Do you know how it got there?"

"Yes." the Gunner answered, activating a dresssphere change to become a white mage. "Yevon was harsh on Spira's people. It called the man who became that Weapon a heretic. He was locked away for challenging the might of Yevon and met a cruel end. Had he been sent like so many others were he never would have become a fiend."

"You say he was once human. The weapons I've encountered here with my friends didn't begin that way. Each of them acted like they were programmed from their very beginning to destroy anything that threatened it's self from the beginning. A single weapon destroyed the entire city of Midgar." Cloud responded. Stopping, the faux soldier grimaced at the sight of a barrier between them and the rest of the path.

Letting out a breath, Yuna looked around them until her eyes settled on the shape of a keyboard. "Guys, check the area out for anything that might play a sound. Something from a keyboard or piano, alright."

Working her own way around their limited space, Yuna hopped up on the small dais that hosted the playing instrument while tuning her hearing for the melody that would open the path to them. With any luck, the gunner would be able to open the path to the fight before them. As determined as the three were, this sudden lull in their fight kept the combat to a new minimum, relaying a breadth of tension unfelt until then.

As the two front line fighters covered the varying points in their search, Cloud brought his attention back to the young man recently revealed as his brother. "Tidus," Cloud called out, gaining the younger fighter's attention. "There is something you should know."

"What's that?" The blitzer asked, glancing up from the plate he'd stepped on that played the final key to the barriers unlocking sequence.

"When you first got here, do you remember what you told me?" Mako bright eyes flickered downward as Tidus jumped down from the raised platform.

"Of course. I'm looking for my older brother. Why, did you learn something?"

Cloud tensed, wandering if perhaps this was the wrong moment to reveal what he'd been told. Giving it up, he answered his young companion. "Yeah. I met with someone from your side of things that claimed I was that brother you were looking for. It doesn't necessarily mean anything yet…"

"I'm not worried about that, Cloud. I knew right from the beginning who you were." Tidus interrupted. "We might be from two different worlds, but there's no denying the resemblance of who we are. Related are not, I'd be proud to call someone as cool as you brother." Twisting back to Yuna's position, Tidus gave her a wave to go ahead and play the melody. Stepping away before Cloud could think of an answer, the blitzer moved to Yuna's side and watched her fingers flick over the keys.

Shaking his head at the youth's antics, Cloud felt a smile of amusement tugging at his lips. That boy… it was almost like being with Zack. "Thanks, Tidus." he said to himself.

"He's his WHAT?" Zack shouted, falling onto his backside as Shuyin laughed down at the Soldier.

"You can't be really surprised, Fair. Tidus and Cloud have similar enough personalities once you get past the whole surface level of things. They won't hesitate to sacrifice themselves for those they love." Shuyin answered him. Offering a hand down to the dark haired man, the former unsent pulled the other to his feet. "Perhaps it is a good thing the Planet decided to reunite them."

Aerith frowned at the suggestion the planet would not have confided in them the kind of information that could affect their perceptions… "How do you know this?"

Lenne placed a hand on Shuyin's shoulder as he laughed at their dumbfounded expressions. Worry creased her brow as the former fiend disengaged from her hold. "Simple enough information to discover when the memories of others are recorded within these precious spheres you call materia."

"Shuyin, please, stop teasing them." she asked of her lover. "We don't have the time for this anymore. Jenova and the others are moving forward with their plans."

A curse touched down on the face of the world as Shuyin glanced down at his beloved. "They can't handle them all on their own. I can at least try and do something to stop Yevon though. The timing will have to be just right for it to work though."

"You've got a plan. That's why your wasting time here, isn't it?" Aerith whispered out loud. "What do you intend to do?"

Shuyin's eyes took on a malevolent glow as he turned to face the last Cetra. "Simple, child, I will possess the creature they create if the others don't make it in time."

Shock came into play as the fiend grasped at Lenne's hand once more. "It will be my penance for failing you." he whispered to her.

Tracing her fingers over Shuyin's jaw, Lenne shook her head. "You don't need to do that, Shuyin." The cracking in her voice nearly brought the man to his knees.

"I'm the only one with enough power to defy them from the inside out, Lenne. The Pyreflies have granted me that much." Touching his head to his beloved's Shuyin brought his arms around her. "Just don't let go of me until then, alright?"

Letting out a bark of frustration, Zack moved forward and grasped the other's arm. Spinning him to look at him, the soldier growled out his own question. "What are you saying? You want to possess a monster like Jenova?"

"Want isn't really the condition I was granted for my time with Lenne. We all have our orders, Fair. You, that woman with you, Lenne, and myself. We each have been given a task by this place we call Planet to fulfill. I've been tasked with possessing the created entity that will threaten the life of this world. Lenne is to see to any wounds that might be garnered by yourself if you are to destroy the created creature. Your lover there is to direct the energy that is destroyed back into the life stream and freeing us all. Was that not the arrangement?" His hand had clasped the wrist of the soldier as he spoke, allowing for the first time the dark energy that created him to slip into another's aura.

"I am that which all darkness fears in this place. The never ending sorrow. A true nightmare, repeated over and over again for the last one thousand years. Since the time of my death…" Lenne's hand on his own brought Shuyin back to earth, out of the cloying existence that summoned him to this place. "Apologies, Fair, it has been a very long time for me."

"That's how…" Zack whispered, shaken by the brief experience he'd received at the hands of the apparition. "Will it work against someone like Jenova?"

Aerith's hands curled into fists as she flicked her eyes to the songstress. She must have known all along what her part was. How could she not? Eyes closing against the wrenching scene before her, the Cetra prayed that everything would turn out all right and they would all have a happy ending to return to.

"Please," she prayed. "let us succeed."

Racing against the clock, the surface dwellers above the depths of the Farplane's hell realm finally tapped into a means to an end. Standing along side the combined forces of Shinra, the Youth League, and New Yevon, Tifa arched a brow at the escalating argument developing between the Turks and the Al Bhed. Leaning closer to Vincent, she tried her best to figure out what was going on. The recent request from Rikku to obliterate something called Vegnagun was certainly a strange thing indeed. Especially since they'd learned the machine had long since been demolished in a previous encounter.

"Who do you think will win this one?" she asked the silent man.

"None of them will." He answered her. "The focus has shifted from our primary objective to a secondary threat. Even if Cloud and the others get through there is still the looming threat of what to do with Jenova."

Tifa's dark eyes turned away from him as she cast a glance towards the darkening sky through which they traveled. The entry to the Spiran Farplane was said to be far safer then the swifter route chosen by Cloud and Tidus. At least, that was what the woman Rikku had explained as they arranged who would be with whom on this trip. Between the two remaining Gullwings, Paine and Rikku had determined a guide would be best. For the sake of their sanity, Paine had opted to travel with the Turks and the blond Al Bhed would lead them. Each group had determined to take a different route with herself, Vincent, and Rikku taking one from a place called Djose Temple. Paine would then lead Reno and Rude from the path in Besaid. Apparently, the paths would take them straight to the central locations of Vegnagun, the Farplane, and hopefully, Jenova.

The final battle was closing in and fast. "We don't have much more time to prepare. Rikku, can you tell us more about where we are heading?"

The bouncy blond froze in her heated debate with Reno and grinned fiercely at her. "Of course. The Djose path was the one Yuna fell down after the battle with the Aeon Ixion. It'll probably be one of the swifter routes, with any luck, we won't encounter the same things we did as last time. Once we get down there, we'll have to go through the Farplane glen and travel through the underground roads until we reach the entrance to Vegnagun's graveyard. After that, it should be a pinch. Any questions?"

Tifa shook her head. The blond was just as flighty as Yuffie and probably held just as many tricks. "No thanks."

"Great, now where was I… Oh yeah." Spinning on the fuming Reno she continued the lecture on just what she specialized in.

Vincent turned his head to Tifa as the woman shrugged back at him. "I've a secondary plan in case the initial plans fail."

"Chaos?" she answered, giving the innocent looking Al Bhed an all new look of respect when the girl finally gave into temptation and whacked Reno atop his head.

"Ah, that's it little girl." The Turk finally snapped, his hand swiping forward just as Rikku stepped back and followed through with a fist aimed at the red head's cheek. Only the swift intervention of her friend Paine halted the insetting fight.

"Enough." The red eyed woman barked. "Can the two of you settle your little pissing contest later or do I have to hurt you?"

With a light 'eep' Rikku backed down, leaving Reno to glare solemnly at the swordswoman. "Well?" she demanded of him.

"Fine," he grumbled, letting the fight go.

"Good." Dropping her hand on the man's wrist Paine turned to her friend with a glower in her eyes. "Stop causing trouble. They're not Le Blanc's goons or Gippal."

The blond visibly deflated before turning towards Vincent and Tifa. "We should probably study the map, huh?"

"That would be the wisest choice." Vincent answered her as she clambered up the steps to stand beside them. "We know little about the terrain we're journeying into."

There was satisfaction to be had in the consumption of the one called Anima, Jenova decided as her presence flowed through the cursed woman's stone body. Stealing away the present echo of the creature's last remaining shed of humanity, the Calamity began freeing her new body from the stone prison which had housed it. As the petrifaction wore off, she became slowly aware of the horror that filled into the everything and nothingness that was Seymour Guado.

Turning her dark power up to where the man stood, she smiled at her newest child. Yes, Seymour had been all to eager to expand his grasp of power and strike a deal to become even more of a God. His will was nothing to that of Strife's, the errant child-puppet that destroyed her precious Sephiroth. The very nature of Seymour's body had become an almost welcome respite from the Planet's lingering desire to destroy her.

"Now, my son, shall we call Sin back to this world?" she stated simply, giving the blue haired a man a push to begin his summoning. Needless though he would be after this, she couldn't help but feel some pity for the poor boy. His own mother would indeed be his executioner, in all forms.

Shuyin's essence tingled, the feel of complete darkness swamping his mind and body as his Pyreflies found placements in the hearts and minds of Jenova's army, calling them to himself. The remnants had reacted just as so many before them had, giving into the final moments of Shuyin's sorrow and stumbling into madness unlike Jenova's grasping destruction. Jenova longed to exist. Shuyin's presence indicated the complete opposite. His longing to erase, destroy, and cease. To fade into nothingness, just like the will power of his new puppets as they slowly turned on the each other. Swords, guns, or magic, none of it mattered as his sorrow filled them and they became introduced to his nightmare.

Thinking back to the sweep of power that had brought him here, Shuyin grimaced. The planet had given him a longer time to be with Lenne and even the promise of something beyond lingered if he did this right. The decimation of Jenova and Sephiroth's army had to be complete before the living ventured much further. Casting one last look over his shoulder at Lenne, Zack, and Aerith the Sorrow began walking into the dark abyss of the Farplane.

It would be up to the others now… He had an army to destroy. This new task wasn't entirely unpleasant as he felt Lenne begin her dance as the souls of the lost lives spiraled from their bodies. Aerith's gasp of horror and Zack's lingering anger was something to be dealt with later.

Yuna paused as she heard the unmistakable song she herself brought to the land of Spira courtesy of Lenne. Finding the songstress' glowing form before the three of them startled her into stillness. The long silence between the six of them was broken only by Cloud's intake of air.

"Zack, Aerith, how?"

"Hey buddy." Zack quipped, sweeping around to get a good look of his fellow Soldier. "How's it going?"

"You… I'm fine." Cloud answered.

Obviously left in the dark, Tidus found his gaze sweeping to Yuna and the woman she had stumbled to a stop in front of. Their low voices whispered in contrast to the eager smiles of Cloud's deceased friends.

Lenne gave Yuna a sweeping glance. "Shuyin's here. He is clearing the way for you to proceed forward. Please, you must hurry. The Aeon Anima has already been possessed by that creature."

"We'll hurry." Yuna answered knowing full well what come would happen if Shuyin was left to his darkness for too long. She had no wish to loose Tidus to that ever consuming darkness beyond their world.

Plucking at Cloud's sleeve, Tidus indicated the path ahead of them. "We've got to go." he explained.

Casting one long look at his friends, Cloud nodded. "Good bye." he whispered to them before taking after the already departing couple. There wasn't much he could really say to the deceased. Cloud doubted highly they'd accept another apology from him since the last time he'd seen them.

The path ahead proved to be much less challenging in the way Shuyin had dealt with the foes between them and Jenova-Sin. At the final barrier they found Shuyin waiting, the blond male giving Yuna a nod before he opened the pathway for them.

"I don't have anymore time. Listen, Yuna, that thing beyond here was made from the Aeon Anima. If you can find your old self deep inside you might just be able to wrest control free from Jenova long enough to destroy her once and for all. However, be careful, there was one there that even my power couldn't take over. He'll be your main source of worry." he explained as his body lost it's consistency once more. "Be quick."

"Of course." The summoner answered, fingers tightening around her weapons. Sharing a look with Tidus, Cloud was the first to step into the Abyss beyond. The plane before them stretched upward, littered with the decimated parts of what looked to be a massive machine. Atop the highest pillar stood the dark clothed form of Sephiroth, his black wing stretched out behind him. Beside him stood the chained form of Anima and the fading wisps of what used to be Seymour.

"Well, at least we won't have to deal with Seymour now." Tidus snorted. "So, who wants Feathers?"

Cloud's eyes glowed, Mako turning the blue a bright light in the shadowy pits. "Sephiroth is mine to fight. I've beaten him before. Can you handle Jenova?"

"No sweat." Tidus answered gaining a smile as the big bosses waited beyond them. "You ready, Yuna? We'll have to do it before Yevon gets in there."

"Sure." she answered, her green and blue eyes locking on their targets. Ignoring the prick of painful memories, Yuna gathered her decorum and set off from the others. The old battle field of Vegnagun rose up before her, taking them to the final resting place of Vegnagun's head. Ignoring the machine of destruction that decorated the field Yuna took her position. Stepping around a stone, the summoner in her called out. The actions she followed where a core of whom she used to be, a part of herself she thought to be long dead.

Watching with curious eyes, Coud's head jerked upwards as he felt the biting grip of his summons materia cry out in suppressed response to Yuna's actions. It wasn't long before an anchor comprised of the life stream's energy descend from the flowing energy above them descend and grasp something from the seals now glowing beneath their feet. Tidus' own response was one of collected calm, though his expression from his borrowed materia was of a similar response. Neither male deigned to speak as Jenova-Anima was ripped from her hiding place and into the corporeal existence.

The scream of outrage that followed was swiftly silenced as Tidus leapt forward, his glimmering blue sword already in motion. "You're going down!" The youth called out as he struck the surprised summon.

Jenova's reaction swiftly caught up with the speeding blitzer, the possessed body lashing out with contained fury. A single limb from the Calamity's host swept into the blonde's gut, sending him spiraling back into Cloud's position. The faux-Soldier caught hold of his younger sibling, steadying him as Jenova tossed Anima's malformed head back and laughed. Yuna's hands swiftly dropped to the sphere grid on her belt pouch, touching a new dress sphere while the dark Aeon cackled at them.

The Floral Fallel twinkled with an unknown power as she toyed with the new idea. It was the only way she knew to counter the former Aeon with enough time to stop the other threats. In seconds, light burst around the summoner as she slipped from gunner mode and into the floral image of her dress sphere. Anima-Jenova fell silent as a white light burst into radiant glow before her. Where the gunner once stood was now a being of immense power, three floating icons of power between them.

The former high summoner gazed solemnly back at her foe. "It is time for you to go." she whispered at the Aeon. "I will free you, Anima." In the next second, the battle commenced with an explosion of magic, limit breaks, and over drives. There was nothing left for anything more then the flash of eerie light playing over their figures as the grounded form of Anima came into conflict with the floating image of a white goddess. Holy in all it's light came for Jenova…

Cloud found himself starring lightly into the face of his former foe once more as they parried one blade against another. The General made short work of their fight, his voice playing against the controlled nerves of the faux-Soldier as they clashed and locked blades once more. The thin edge of Masamune tangled in with his own Tsurugi. The clatter of their blades brought them closer then they had been in months.

Sephiroth smirked as he saw the blonde's eyes flick towards the direction of his younger counterpart when his Mother sent the child flying. "So, it's true, Cloud. That boy is your last living family." he stated, his wing stretching out between them as he thought of all the horror he could cause this former puppet of his.

Cloud's eyes shot back to the green of his enemies as familiar emotions came pouring through him. "Shut up and fight." he spat out, finding his sword unlocking from Sephiroth's. Try as he might, he was unprepared for what the general did next. The man dived away, falling swiftly towards the recovering Tidus before the other could even react, he was on him. Caladbog was up in a second as slivers of hair drifted down the boy's shoulder, blood welling from a thin cut over his cheek.

Bright eyes widened as the blitzer stumbled backwards before the silver haired nightmare tore away to avoid a stumbling blow from the heavy Tsurugi. A smirk played on his lips as the two blondes were forced to duck one another's weapons. "Amusing as two brothers fighting might be, perhaps you should pay better attention to your foes." he advised, the sarcasm dripping from his lips like poison.

"Never mind him. I'm your foe." Cloud snapped, hefting the weight of the mighty Tsurugi in his palms.

"Good time to remember that." Sephiroth answered before a powerful spell created a small barrier between them, Anima's form breaking into smaller bits of Pyreflies as Yuna returned to gunner mode. The dual eyed woman was swiftly running after the Jenova possessed Aeon with intent to maim. Perhaps that was murder from the fierce look she had obtained in the fight. Ignoring her passage, Cloud leapt forward to finish the fight with Sephiroth.

Watching both fighters with intensity, Tidus mumbled to himself under his breath. Just how was he supposed to make himself useful…

The blond blinked once when he caught sight of the familiar form of Yunalesca standing to the side of the fights. Raising her hand, she gestured for the young dream to come, his feet moving automatically as he raised his Celestial Weapon to the guard position.

"I should have known." he grunted to himself. "Guess daddy dearest is hovering somewhere nearby too?"

Raising her arms above her head, Yunalesca granted the dream a knowing smile. For as long as he had been able to understand the way things worked since arriving into Reality, Tidus had long ago absorbed the information such a smile could hold. "Can you stop us a second time, Guardian?" she asked of him, readying her first attack upon the youth.

Shrugging off the damage he suffered earlier in the battles, Tidus ground his feet into the earth beneath him. "I'd say so." Unlike before, there would be no back up in this fight… Not unless he used those rocks Cloud had given him.

Bringing his arm up, he shot Yunalesca an answering smirk.

The fiend screamed when she saw what he was about to unleash. The very temperatures on the field shot up to new heights when Tidus called out to the Summons. "Phoenix."

A bird's answering call flooded the ears of all combatants, bringing a dispersing Jenova-Anima to a shuddering halt. Not to far from her, stood Yuna, the gunner feeling her mouth drop open in shock. Beyond them, locked blade to blade was Sephiroth and Cloud, ignoring the mournful wails of Yunalesca.

"Impossible," she screamed. "There should be no way you can summon an Aeon…"

"Phoenix isn't an Aeon." Tidus answered her softly. "It has nothing what so ever to even do with Spira. Your father will never return to this Planet for as long as I'm capable of stopping him. There will never be another Sin or another Sacrifice all in the name of your false Hope." By the end of his sentence, Tidus felt his body pull free from reality, stretching into the paths beyond and Phoenix flew free.

Sweeping the battleground with its wings, the Avian of rebirth settled once on the ground before winging back into the sky. Aiming a fiery eye for Yunalesca, swept forward by the Planets calls for it to return, the bird sank it's massive claws into the fiend. With an answering scream it dispersed back into the life stream, taking with it Yunalesca.

Whatever attack the lingering spirit might have had ended with a fizzle and a snapping ember. Tidus fell back into reality, his mind and ears tingling from the whispers that echoed back in the distant source of the Farplane.

"What…?" he whispered to himself, falling forward onto his knees. Clenching his fingers tightly against the surface he stood on, Tidus brought his head up to stare the Yu Pagoda down. "Oh, boy."

Armies were devastating things, Shuyin knew from long forgotten experience. There had once been a time the thought of facing an army of single minded drones would have struck fear into him from the very beginning. Now, it was simply a matter to find what motivated who and turn it around on his partner. With the aid of the limitless amount of Pyreflies available to him, the denizen from the chamber of Woe was making short work of Jenova's cloned army. The remnants that he was unable to take down were finding themselves faced with a another type of foe.

Zack was having fun in a way he hadn't since he was alive. The Soldier sent a thumbs up to his newest partner, gallivanting the blonde nightmare to further action. Anything to stop that… Puppy, from making mince meat of his priorities. Still, he was humorous enough. Something foreign twitched at the corner of Shuyin's mouth in exchange to the lively Soldier's attitude over the entire ordeal.

Yes, he could very well come to like Zack and Aerith before this battle was over.

Rikku twitched at the sight before her.

Everything her and her companions in battle had done until this moment was coming for naught when she found herself facing the familiar sight of the Yu Pagoda. "That… that just isn't fair." She whined, turning to face the paling face of Paine.

"That's what you faced when you all fought Sin?" Paine asked her, fingers tingling around the hilt of her sword.

"Yup. Pretty sight, huh?" Rikku answered her. "I think we're in trouble again."

"Enough chatter." Vincent interrupted hurrying forward into the midst of battle to aid the acrobatic Tidus in his fight against Yevon.

"Enough chatter…" Rikku copied him, her voice taking on the darker tones of a possessed monkey. Sticking her tongue out at the gunman's back, the thief followed with Paine in the direction of Yuna and her own battle.

Blinking at the fights Tifa tilted her head in Cloud's direction. "I'm going that way." She informed the Turks.

Reno snickered. "Sure thing. I'll mosey along with you. Rude, you think you can handle the rocks without me?"

"Humph." Stretching his gloves over his knuckles, the bald Turk took off at a light run towards Yevon, Tidus, and Vincent. There was definitely going to be some bonus pay for this fight, he was sure of it.

"Ohhhh, this'll be fun. Hey, guys, save some for me." Reno shouted at the departing members of Avalanche.

The twisting Pagoda barely held half his attention as Tidus leapt forward, the glowing dance of Hastega cast over himself as he struggled to find a purchase against the very being responsible for his existence and all the misery that ever plagued Spira for over a thousand years. Slamming Caladbog into Yevon's dark form, Tidus brought up his fist and charged a hastily learned Flare powering up in his palm. Tossing the energy into the malevolent darkness, the Blitzer fell back when it began to scream in agony as other forms appeared at his sides.

The two silent men were semi familiar to the youth as they unleashed their own powerful attacks on the pagoda until the bald one suddenly fell back. With a shout, Tidus fell away from Yevon as something took over the gunner's red caped form and a monster took his place. Blue eyes widened as Tidus twisted out of the way of the things charging attack and grappled with Yevon until he was thrown into the twisting waves of life stream. For a moment, the teen stood their in open mouthed astonishment until the monster came back out and settled on the ground before him.

"What the heck are you?" Tidus questioned him.

If he didn't know any better, he would have thought the Vincent-monster was irritated with that question.

"Forget I asked." he mumbled. As he spoke he missed the sudden alarm across the demon's face until something pierced through his chest. Breath stole away from his lungs and lips as he starred down in hopeless disbelief. The last thought on his mind before he crumbled to the ground was Yuna's name.

The battle was nearly won by the time all forces engaged, beating back the threat to their existence and all that they represented. In the final moments of Jenova's, Yevon's, and Sephiroth's stand a stake was made that would tear apart all and everything the allied forces of Gaia and Spira stood for. A cost, once paid and returned in full, extracted in the last seconds by a vengeful Jenova-Anima tore away from them the one that represented true unity between their peoples.

For a moment, the Blitzer stood in open mouth shock as his head dropped to look at the blue arm shoved through his chest. Screaming in his head were the bonded materia he had been given by Cloud as they slowly left the round orbs that memorialized their existence. Hanging about the youth a burst of smaller orbs began to take shape, dancing and spinning in response to the release of his life energy. Even as his knees buckled Tidus felt the limb tear free of his chest with a roar from his father's throat. Blinking blue eyes at the unexpected sound the dream of Zanarkand expelled a breath of his father's name as his vision began to darken.

Cradling his boy close, the former Sin scowled darkly at the laughing possessed Aeon. "You just screwed up, bitch." he barked as Tidus's form began to lose it's solidity. In shivering response, the dancing weaves of the life stream tangled into a bright light above their heads reaching for the occupants of the Farplane.

"You never should have touched my boy." Jecht's growls grew ominous as he drew on the power that once made him the most dangerous fiend on all of Spira. Yevon's malevolence shivered in the father's fury as it was jerked from it's purgatory and re-wrapped into an impenetrable armor.

Screaming at the Faythe's audacity in challenging her, Jenova lunged forward to meet the overwhelming surge of Jecht's own powers. Even as the life stream reached for them, Jecht pushed against his son's murderer and sent them both hurtling into the Planet's crushing grip. A pure white light bounced around in the steady stream of water as four figures appeared on the out edges of the twinkling stream. Looking up at them the audience watched as the figures descended into the Farplane. Amongst them was the uncannily similar Shuyin to Tidus's own appearance. Beside him walked the formerly smiling Zack, the sweet Aerith, and the singer Lenne. It was the Cetra in the group of spirits that stepped forward only to be stopped at the sudden appearance of a young boy and several other beings. Surrounding the Faythe dream with their backs to the crowd the hummed an ancient song. Piece by piece, the Pyreflies began to answer.

Whispering against the Cetra's mind, the Planet pushed the girl forward as she called upon her own powers and set them to lend aid to the fading boy. As the energy compacted, a ball of solidified life stream took shape in the center of where Tidus's chest was located. Ignoring the miracle that took place between them, the Faythe and the Cetra continued on their goal. Mere moments passed in solidifying agony as Cloud and Yuna looked on in pained silence.

Finally after some time pained gasp broke the reawakened dream's lips and he jerked upright. Starring Bahamut in the face he raised a questioning brow. "What happened?"

"Only that which should have been kept has now been returned. We can do no more for you Tidus of Zanarkand." Bahamut answered him before turning away and leading the other Faythe back into the depths of the blooming Farplane.

Letting out a relieved breath, Aerith placed a hand on her chest and smiled. "I'm glad it worked." she stated. "So, maybe peace can be finally restored to all the Planet?"

"OF Course it will." Rikku piped up. Planting her hands on her hips the thief twisted until she could look the Cetra in the eyes. "We've got Yunie and Tidus on the job. And of course the new guys too." Smiling, the Al Bhed turned around to meet the Turks in the eyes. "Have I got some ideas for you!"

Planting a hand on his face, Tidus snorted. "Guess we could show them what Blitzball is all about."

"Of course. You guys need some good old Al Bhed touches. Maybe we can find a way to salvage some of the technology you scatterbrains used. Without killing anything or anyone." she amended when she saw looks of trepidation pass over the Turks faces.

"Who the heck put you in charge of recovery options?" Yuffie challenged, marching up to the blond Al Bhed.

"Who said I asked?" Rikku answered her. "Your people and ours just need to work together. Unlike you newbies we know how to recover from devastation thanks to Sin. And unlike us you guys actually have a technology that's useful in those options."

The two glared at each other for a while before Yuffie finally nodded. "I can work with that. Welcome to Gaia."

"Ditto. Welcome to Spira."


End file.
